Balsamic Pasta Salad
This veggie-packed recipe features artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, cucumber for a tangy, zest, and refreshing pasta salad.
Servings: 5 servings
Calories: 440kcal
Ingredients
- 8 ounces bowtie pasta
- ½ cup dry French lentils see note #1
- 2 cups water or vegetable broth
- 1 cup roughly chopped marinated and quartered artichoke hearts
- ½ cup roasted red pepper strips diced
- ⅓ cup roughly chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
- ½ large cucumber diced into quarters
- ¼ cup sliced kalamata olives pit removed
- 4 ounce block of feta crumbled
- ¼ cup roughly chopped flat leaf parsley
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest from one lemon
For the Balsamic Vinaigrette
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon honey
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Cook bowtie pasta in well salted water until al dente. Once cooked, add drained pasta to a large bowl.
- Meanwhile, cook the lentils. Combine lentils, water, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Drain off excess water.
- To make the balsamic vinaigrette: I use a bullet blender, but you can also add the ingredients to a jar and shake. To the jar add: ½ cup olive oil, ¼ cup balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, and 1 teaspoon honey. Shake or blend well and adjust to taste.
- To the pasta add the drained lentils, artichoke hearts, roasted red pepper, sun-dried tomato, cucumber, olives, crumbled feta, and parsley.
- Toss to combine. Drizzle with half of the balsamic vinegar, tossing to combine again. Add freshly ground black pepper and lemon zest, to taste.
- Enjoy as a warm salad, or cover and transfer to the fridge to chill for 2 hours before serving. Before serving, drizzle with remaining balsamic vinaigrette. Enjoy!
Notes
- Lentils: Green or brown lentils also work. I don't recommend using orange or red lentils.
- Chop size: The original recipe doesn't require much chopping, but the recipe was updated May 2025 with recommendations to roughly chop or dice the vegetables. This step is optional but helps the veggies to better distribute throughout the salad. The recipe photos still reflect the original recipe version.
- Balsamic vinaigrette: This is my go-to balsamic recipe. The original version of this recipe just including ¼ cup of balsamic vinegar instead of an entire vinaigrette. This new version makes the salad heartier and adds extra flavor.
- Make ahead option: Lentils can be cooked up to 3 days in advance and pasta can be cooked and tossed with oil up to 24 hours in advance. Assemble the pasta salad up to 24 hours in advance, omitting the balsamic vinegar and lemon juice. Chill until ready to use. Toss with balsamic vinegar and lemon juice before serving.
- Leftovers: Keep refrigerated and enjoy within 3-4 days. Drizzle with remaining balsamic vinaigrette before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 440kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 708mg | Potassium: 524mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 892IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 177mg | Iron: 4mg
