Mediterranean Farfalle Pasta Salad
Light and oh-so-flavorful, this mediterranean farfalle pasta salad is perfect for summer potlucks and picnics! Packed with veggies, herbs and a lemon mustard dressing, it’s delicious served warm or cold. Dairy free and vegan.
Summertime = pasta salad time! And it’s totally already quite hot by where I live.
Cue all my complaining about the heat.
But. Warm weather also equals fun potlucks and barbecues and this farfalle pasta salad should absolutely be on your list of ideas for dishes to bring to such occasions.
But here’s the thing about this dish. It’s super versatile.
I originally made it just as a lighter pasta for dinner – i.e. served while still piping hot. Yum.
But then, then I ate the leftovers cold the next day because I was feeling lazy and didn’t want to take the time to heat them back up.
And realized it’s just as awesome that way too. Very picnic-style, if you will.
Ingredients In This Farfalle Pasta Salad
So now that we have that covered, let’s chat about what’s actually in the pasta.
I go with whole wheat farfalle here because it’s my absolute favorite, but really you can use any shape that you want. Ziti, shells, I think they would all be fun too.
And then there’s the “stuff” that goes along with the pasta. And I packed it with lots of goodies.
We have a ton of veggies, like red onion, zucchini, mushrooms and fresh spinach.
There’s some sundried tomatoes for a bit of that sort of tangy chewiness.
We have chickpeas for some protein, walnuts for some crunch, fresh herbs for, well, freshness!
To tie it all together, we’ll toss it in a lemon mustard dressing, which adds so much flavor and gives it a bit of moisture. And also reinforces that mediterranean flair.
Additional Salad Recipes You Might Enjoy:
- Zucchini and Corn Orzo Salad
- Dairy Free Italian Pasta Salad
- Vegetable Taco Pasta Salad
- Pesto Tabbouleh Summer Salad
- Blueberry Quinoa Salad
- Roasted Broccoli Salad with Blueberries
- Summer Veggie Quinoa Salad
Did you make this recipe? Rate and review it down below! I’d love to hear from you.
Mediterranean Farfalle Pasta Salad
Light and oh-so-flavorful, this mediterranean farfalle pasta salad is perfect for summer potlucks and picnics! Packed with veggies, herbs and a lemon mustard dressing, it’s delicious served warm or cold. Dairy free and vegan.
Ingredients
For the pasta:
- 12 ounces whole wheat farfalle pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium red onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium zucchini, chopped
- 1 (8 ounce) package baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups lightly packed baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup chopped sundried tomatoes
- 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup raw walnuts, chopped
- ½ cup crumbled feta (optional)*
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- ¼ cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves, chopped
For the dressing:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- pinch of pepper
Instructions
To make the pasta:
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add in the pasta and cook until al dente according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, set a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the olive oil. When hot, add in the onion and cook for about 2 minutes, until it starts to soften. Add in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Add in the zucchini and mushrooms and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes, until tender and the mushrooms have released their juices. Add in the salt and spinach. Cook just until the spinach is wilted. Remove from the heat.
- Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add in the cooked pasta, sundried tomatoes, chickpeas, walnuts, feta (if using), parsley and basil. Toss until well combined and set aside.
To make the dressing:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, dijon, maple syrup, salt and pepper vigorously until combined.
- Pour into the bowl with the pasta and toss until well combined. Serve the pasta right away while still hot or transfer to the refrigerator to chill (your preference!).
Notes
*To keep this dairy free / vegan - leave off the feta cheese (or you can even substitute with pitted sliced olives to taste).
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 322Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 472mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 6gSugar: 6gProtein: 11g
Nutrition data shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator and is for informational purposes only. It should not be considered a substitute for a medical professional’s advice.
Lemon mustard dressing–drool! This looks amazingly fresh. Have a great Memorial Day!
haha right!? Have a great weekend as well!!
The weather is getting warmer and I love a good pasta dish. This is look amazing girl. I also love the red onions in this dish. I bet they add an amazing flavor to this dish. I can’t wait to try this out.
Girl, I have been thinking about this salad since I saw it on Instagram, it sounds amazing, and I love how versatile it is! Also, can you send. E some of at warm weather? Here is like 40 degrees!
I would be glad to! It was like over 90 and so humid here the other day!
Yes, I would eat this hot or cold, and it looks like the perfect warm weather meal or side dish! I’m always up for Mediterranean fare, and mustard dressing — YES!
I feel like pasta salad is my go-to dish in the summertime, but this version is so much better than any pasta salad I’ve ever made! Bring on the potluck recipes! Love it!
I wish it was hot by me! It’s felt like winter for the past month-cold, windy and misty. Not rainy (which we really need) but misty. Sigh.
Regardless of the weather, I’m still all about the picnic style foods right now so this looks perfect to me! I love that you can eat it hot or cold too. YUM!
Hope you guys get some rain soon! And warmer weather too 🙂 Thanks friend!
I would love to have this on hand for easy weekday lunches!
Summer times is definitely the salad time. Your pasta salad looks so delicious, Ashley.
What a beautiful and fresh pasta that is perfect for the season.
I have a feeling I could eat a bowl of this every day for lunch in the spring/summer, Ashley! Much more interesting than the chicken sandwich I had today! (although that was quite yummy, too!)
Love the look of the ingredients in the dresing … all sweet and fruity!
Thanks Helen!!
YUM! I posted a Mediterranean pasta salad with a very similar ingredient list awhile back (I think YEARS back at this point! haha), and it’s one of my summer go-to dishes. So yummy and fresh. I love your addition of walnuts!
Ha! I’ll have to check yours out too!
This looks like the perfect salad for summer! I love all the yummy goodies this is jam-packed with and the mediterranean flavors sound fantastic! This sounds delicious hot or cold and it’s so so pretty too!
This looks so so amazing! Love the colors, pinned 🙂
I so love the sound of your lemony, honey mustard dressing! I would so love to try a pasta salad with that dressing!
That pasta sounds fantastic Ashley! And I love that it’s good hot or cold, those are the best meals!
I love a good pasta salad recipe and I’ve been looking for some great summer dishes now that it’s getting warmer. The Mediterranean flavors you have going sound wonderful and I cannot wait to give this a try! I love a good pasta salad that is good either warm or cold!
Thanks Renee! It’s nice to have the option either way!
Delicious! This is a perfect side dish for a BBQ and I love that it has sundried tomatoes. They’re my fav and add such a great flavor!
They really do! Thanks Holly!
I can never get enough Mediterranean food in my life, so this gorgeous pasta salad is right up my alley! This would be perfect for Memorial Day weekend! Pinning. 🙂
Thanks friend!
Summer is the BEST time for pasta salads, Ashley! I’m loving the mediterranean flavors of this dish. And I love the pretty colors, too. So great for Memorial Day weekend!
This salad is packed full of tasty ingredients! I love trying out different pasta salads during summer picnic season.
There’s nothing I love more than a bowl of pasta for lunch, all year round… I’m Italian after all, so that’s totally normal, right?! I eat it every single day so I’m always looking for new ways to spice it up a bit, especially during summertime, when piping hot pasta isn’t that much appealing. This pasta salad looks and sounds amazing, I love it’s packed full of fresh seasonal veggies and makes for a complete and balanced meal. I’ll try this out for sure 🙂
xo, Elisa
Totally normal!!! 🙂