Pasta-broccolini Salad

Total Time: 13 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 3 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 1/2 lbs shaped pasta (read intro)
• 1 lb broccolini
• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained (or equivalent amount of freshly cooked chickpeas)
• 1/4 cup walnut pieces, toasted
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• cracked black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 lemon, juice of

Recipe

• 1 cook the pasta until al dente. drain and set aside.
• 2 heat up a large pot of salted water to boiling. place the broccolini stems in the boiling water. return to boil and cook for 2-3 minutes, just until the stems are crisp-tender.
• 3 drain the broccolini and rinse with cold water to halt the cooking process. drain well again.
• 4 in a large serving bowl combine the broccolini with the cooked pasta. gently stir in the chickpeas and *walnut pieces.
• 5 whisk together the dressing ingredients in a small non-reactive bowl.
• 6 pour dressing over the broccoli-pasta mixture. toss gently to coat.
• 7 squeeze the lemon juice over the salad and serve or cover and chill.
• 8 *note: if you choose to serve the salad cold, stir in the walnuts just before serving.