Roasted Asparagus and Lemon Butter Pasta Salad

We are in mid-June and that means (mother nature co-operate here please) warmer weather, and on the farm it means sadly asparagus is coming to an end. BUT- what better way to celebrate the warm weather and asparagus season than with a salad. This simple roasted asparagus pasta salad, tossed with peas, red onion, and parmesan is a quick and easy pasta salad that everyone will love!

Roasted Asparagus and Lemon Butter Pasta Salad

Makes: 6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS
– 1 large bunch of fresh asparagus (about 20 spears)
– 6 cups rotini pasta, cooked and cooled
– ½ cup green peas, cooked
– ¼ cup red onion, diced
– 1 lemon, zested and juiced
– 2 tablespoon butter
– 1 tablespoon olive oil
– ¼ cup of fresh parsley, chopped, plus more for garnish (optional)
– 1 teaspoon salt
– ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
– ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Wash and chop the asparagus into one-inch pieces. Toss them with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Spread them evenly on a baking sheet, dot the asparagus with butter. Roast for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
In the meantime, cook the pasta in salted water. Cool the pasta completely by running under cold water. This will help remove the starch from the pasta.
Add the cooled pasta and asparagus to a large bowl. Add the green peas, red onion, parmesan, parsley, lemon zest and juice, and the oil/butter mixture from the baking sheet (use a rubber spatula to scrape the oil and butter from the baking sheet into the bowl). Toss this all together, and season with more salt and pepper to suit your taste.
Serve the pasta salad in a large serving bowl and garnish with parsley and more parmesan if you wish. Refrigerate any leftovers and consume within four days.