Linguine Pasta Salad

Linguine pasta salad gets a fresh, zesty spin with crisp veggies, tender artichokes, Parmesan, and a punchy homemade Italian dressing.

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Chill Time 4

Total Time 4 30

Servings Servings

Ingredients

For the Linguine Pasta Salad

1 pound linguine broken in half
1 cup quartered artichoke hearts packed in water or brine drained very well and roughly chopped
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes quartered
1 English cucumber finely diced
1 red bell pepper finely diced
½ small red onion finely diced
⅓ cup sliced black olives
½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
⅓ cup finely chopped fresh parsley

For the Zesty Homemade Italian Dressing

½ cup extra virgin olive oil
⅓ cup red wine vinegar
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
1 large garlic clove finely grated or minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp celery salt
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp dried basil
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp sesame seeds
½ tsp salt plus more to taste
½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook the linguine until just al dente according to the package directions. Avoid overcooking it since the pasta will soften slightly as it chills in the dressing.
While the pasta cooks, add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon, honey, garlic, oregano, paprika, celery salt, garlic powder, onion powder, basil, red pepper flakes, sesame seeds, kosher salt, and black pepper to a jar. Seal and shake vigorously until well combined. Set aside about 1/3 cup of the dressing to refresh the pasta salad just before serving.
Drain the linguine and rinse briefly under cold running water until cooled. Let it drain extremely well so excess water doesn’t dilute the dressing.
Add the artichoke hearts, tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, and black olives. Pour in the rest of the dressing, keeping the reserved 1/3 cup aside, and toss well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably around 4 hours, to let the flavours develop.
Just before serving, add the Parmesan and fresh parsley. Toss well, adding as much of the reserved dressing as needed to loosen and freshen the salad. Add more salt, black pepper, red wine vinegar, or fresh lemon juice to taste. Serve chilled.

Notes

Use water or brine-packed artichokes, not heavily seasoned marinated ones. Drain and pat them very dry so they don’t water down the dressing.

Don’t overcook the linguine. Keep it al dente since the noodles will soften slightly as they chill.

Drain the rinsed pasta extremely well. Any lingering water will dilute that punchy homemade dressing.

Reserve 1/3 cup of dressing before tossing the salad. Stir it in just before serving to bring back the tang and moisture the pasta absorbs while chilling.

Add Parmesan and parsley just before serving for the freshest flavour, texture, and colour.

Refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days. Give them a good toss and brighten with a splash of red wine vinegar or lemon juice if needed.

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