Honey Pasta Salad
Bursting with mandarin orange flavor and full of colorful veggies, this honey pasta salad is the ultimate sweet and savory summer side dish.
- Author: Kelly @ Butter and Thyme
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Chill Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Vegetarian side dish
- Method: Stovetop (pasta)
- Cuisine: American
For the Pasta Salad
- 1 lb. bow-tie pasta (Farfalle)
- 1 can (15 oz.) mandarin oranges in light syrup, drained, and juices reserved*
- 6 oz. roasted red peppers drained and finely chopped
- 8 oz. green bell pepper, diced small
- 4 oz. red onion, diced small
- 2 oz. sunflower seed kernels, raw, unsalted
- 2 tbsp. parsley, chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the Honey Lemon Vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup honey
- 6 tbsp. lemon juice
- 3 tbsp. white wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp. mandarin orange syrup (from drained mandarin oranges)*
- 2 tbsp. garlic, minced
- 2.5 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 3/4 cup neutral oil, i.e. grapeseed oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Cook the pasta al dente according to package instructions. Make sure to salt the pasta water (approximately 1 teaspoon salt per quart of water)! Drain the pasta in a colander and rinse well under cold water.
- While the pasta is cooking, make the honey lemon vinaigrette: combine all ingredients except oil in a mixing bowl. Slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking and continue to whisk until well combined.
- Assemble pasta salad: add the cooked and cooled pasta to a large mixing bowl. Then add all the remaining pasta salad ingredients (except the mandarin oranges) and pour the prepared vinaigrette over the top. Gently toss to combine until everything is evenly coated, then gently stir in the oranges.
- Cover the bowl with a lid and refrigerate until ready to serve. Wait at least 2 hours, ideally 24 hours for best results. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Notes
- You can use 8 oz. of fresh clementines or tangerines instead of canned or jarred mandarin oranges. If you don't have syrup from the canned mandarin oranges, substitute simple syrup or add extra honey to taste.
Keywords: honey lemon pasta salad, mandarin orange pasta salad