This Easy Broccoli Lemon Pasta Salad Recipe is a delicious, mayo-free salad to serve with your favorite meats at your next picnic or barbecue.
I’ve been a broccoli fan all of my life. Although, how could you not love broccoli when it was covered in the cheesiest of cheese sauces or amazing melted butter? Of course, I liked it! It was the best (kinda still is) and that’s how I had it most of the time.
But someone, a few years back when I was trying to eat healthier, told me to try drizzling lemon juice on my steamed broccoli. She said, “trust me, it’s delicious!”. And so I did and I’ve now been eating my broccoli this way ever since.
This Broccoli Lemon Pasta Salad recipe is very similar to having a side of steamed broccoli with lemon juice but, even maybe even better. Because there is pasta. And parmesan cheese.
Broccoli Lemon Pasta Salad is very easy to make — just a toss together cooked & cooled rotini pasta, freshly steamed broccoli florets, lemon slices and lemon juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and parmesan cheese. Season it up with some salt and pepper. Refrigerate for a bit and it’s ready to serve and enjoy.
Watch this video on how to make this Broccoli Lemon Pasta Salad Recipe:
This salad makes a delicious side dish for just about any meal, but especially when paired with your favorite meats – such as chicken, beef, or pork. It’s especially great if you want a mayo-free salad for your next picnic or barbecue.
Broccoli Lemon Pasta Salad Recipe
The complete recipe is below, ready for you to print.
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PrintEasy Broccoli Lemon Pasta Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound rotini pasta
- 1 1/2 cups broccoli florets (bite sized (fresh or frozen – see notes below))
- 1 lemon (sliced (optional))
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3-4 tablespoons parmesan cheese (finely grated)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and immediately run under cold water until pasta is cooled. Drain completely.
- In a large bowl, place pasta, broccoli, and lemon slices (if using) in bowl.
- Drizzle pasta and broccoli with the lemon juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, parmesan cheese, sea salt, and pepper. Toss well until pasta is coated and ingredients are combined.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Note: Sliced lemons are optional. They may also be omitted within the salad but used as a garnish before serving.
Notes
Broccoli Notes: You can use fresh or frozen broccoli for this recipe. If using fresh broccoli, we recommend steaming or blanching until tender-crisp. If you prefer, you could also use raw, uncooked broccoli.
If using frozen broccoli, you will want it completely thawed and drained.
In all cases, be sure your broccoli is cool before tossing in the salad.
Popping over from Bloggers’ Spotlight- I love the look of this. Lemon makes everything more summery! Definitely one to add to my ‘take to work’ lunch list. I have pinned 🙂
Sounds delicious! Pinned and shared.