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| Pasta & Green Bean Salad |
Here’s a pasta salad with a bright lemon herb twist and the crunch of toasted almonds.
The recent heat wave had turned my attention to lighter foods–especially salads that could double as meals.
I always have plenty of pasta in all shapes, but the thought of the usual pasta salad didn’t excite me much.
I had a nice bag of fresh green beans in the crisper and thought they’d combine so nicely together–especially with some flavorful Romano cheese mixed in.
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| A different and tasty pasta salad |
The dressing I kept pretty simple. I preferred a vinaigrette instead of the usual mayonnaise-y dressings. I had lemons so thought that would be a good idea and also thought that some tarragon would be a nice addition with it’s slight minty taste.
This salad was superb with the chicken I served; a perfect accompaniment. I also topped it with some toasted almonds I had left over and that was really the finishing touch!
Pasta & Green Bean Salad with Lemon Tarragon Dressing
- 1 lb fresh green beans
- 8 oz medium shells pasta (uncooked)
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds
- salt/pepper to taste
- bowl of very cold or ice water
- Dressing:
- 1 tsp grated lemon zest
- juice of one (1) medium lemon
- 1 tbs sugar
- 1 tsp dried tarragon leaves
- 2 tbs water
- 1/3 cup olive oil
Cook shells per package directions; drain and cool.
Remove stems and strings from green beans. Cut beans in half. Steam or microwave beans for 2 minutes. Place immediately in ice water and let stand 5 minutes; drain.
Mix all dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor. Place in a covered container and refrigerate about 2 hours.
In a large bowl, mix pasta, green beans, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Chill about 2 hours.
When ready to serve, add desired amount of dressing and toss to coat. Top with toasted almonds.
Serves 4-6 depending on appetite.
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| Pasta & Green Bean Salad |
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