Artichoke Asparagus Pasta Salad

A colorful pasta salad combines tri-color pasta in your favorite shape, asparagus, broccoli, black olives, and artichoke hearts in a creamy ranch-style dressing with lots of Parmesan cheese. The salad rests for 12 hours to chill, so it's great for a make-ahead meal. This recipe makes a big batch.

• Preparation Time: 40 mins
• Cooking Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 50 mins
• Calories: 305 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ⅓ cup olive oil
• 1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 (6 ounce) can sliced black olives
• 2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups mayonnaise
• 3 cups fresh broccoli florets
• 2 (16 ounce) packages tri-color pasta
• 2 (14 ounce) cans water-packed artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 2 cups fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cups chopped fresh parsley

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook tri-colored pasta at a boil until tender yet slightly firm, about 10 minutes.

Step 2

Drain the pasta and rinse in cold water until chilled; drain again.

Step 3

Transfer the pasta to a very large salad bowl and toss with olive oil until coated.

Step 4

Mix broccoli florets, artichoke hearts, asparagus, parsley, spinach, and olives into the pasta until thoroughly combined.

Step 5

Stir Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, red wine vinegar, ranch dressing mix, black pepper, and salt together in a bowl until smooth.

Step 6

Pour the dressing over the pasta mixture and toss to coat. Cover bowl and refrigerate for 12 hours to blend flavors before serving.