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My Avocado pasta salad is packed with ripe chunks of delicious avocado, peppers, snow peas and tossed in a creamy Dijon dressing.

Easy avocado pasta salad

I have so many pasta salad recipes available on the blog, but that’s a good thing right? Usually, when summer appears that’s when the invites start coming at you for those warm summer backyard pool parties. and because pasta salads are really easy to put together they are the perfect thing to make! This Asian Chicken Pasta Salad is a favorite, but if you need something else a little less noodly, try my Tomato and Mozzarella with tons of fresh basil!

Avocado pasta salad with snow peas

Tips for making the best pasta salad

  • I always like to cook my pasta the night before I plan to eat it because it’s the most time-consuming part of making this pasta salad.
  • Drain the pasta well and toss with a splash of olive oil to prevent the pasta sticking together.
  • Cover it with plastic wrap once cool and keep it in the fridge overnight.
  • You can make the dressing a day ahead too, but don’t add it until right before you eat, along with the rest of the veggies and avocado.
  • I like to keep the types of pasta simple. No spaghetti twirling needed here, I love using penne because it holds the dressing well.
  • The star of the dish is the pasta so let’s keep it that way, add about 4-5 more ingredients but don’t overload the bowl.

Avocado pasta salad

pasta salad

There are so many epic ingredients actually in this avocado pasta salad, but the dressing is something else! Seriously, it’s a rich and creamy Dijon mustard base with honey and tarragon. You could also easily pair the dressing with a regular salad if you’re trying to cut down on the carbs, it’ll make anything taste amazing.

Trust me, this is your new go-to summer pasta salad!

 

This post was originally published on 07/02/13. The recipe and photographs were updated on 4/10/18

Avocado Dijon Pasta Salad

Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 10
Calories: 253kcal
Author: foodnessgracious
This pasta salad is heavy on flavor with an awesome Dijon mustard dressing.
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Ingredients

For the dressing

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp dry tarragon
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper

For the salad

  • 3 cups pasta penne uncooked
  • 2 cups sugar snap peas cut in half
  • 1/2 cup green onion chopped
  • 1 red pepper diced
  • 1 yellow pepper diced
  • 2 tbsp parsley chopped
  • 1-2 large ripe avocado cut into cubes

Instructions

  • Cook the pasta as per instructions on the bag. Drain and cool.
  • In small bowl, whisk together the oil, Dijon, honey, lemon juice, tarragon, salt and pepper. Set aside.
  • In a larger bowl add the pasta, peas, green onion, both peppers, parsley, and avocado.
  • Add the dressing to this mixture and toss gently until well coated, Season with salt and pepper.
  • Serve chilled on a large platter or bowl.

Notes

Feel free to switch up the color of peppers to your choice.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 253kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 135mg | Potassium: 299mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 755IU | Vitamin C: 55.2mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1.4mg