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Salmon and asparagus are such a good match, so turning them into a pasta salad just makes sense! This Salmon Asparagus Pasta Salad is loaded with fresh asparagus, flaky canned salmon (or fresh!), hard boiled eggs, pasta and the most delicious creamy lemon dill dressing. So good, so easy, so perfect for spring and summer!
4 Reasons To Love This Salmon Pasta Salad
- Delicious spring/summer salad recipe: Salmon and asparagus make a fantastic combo so why not turn it into a pasta salad! The lemon dill dressing brings it all together. It’s creamy, tangy and absolutely delicious!
- It can be served as a main or a side: This one’s hearty enough to stand on its own (hello, pasta + protein + veggies), but it also makes the perfect side dish for summer BBQs, picnics or potlucks too!
- Easy to make: Super easy to throw together and ready in 30 minutes!
- Great way to repurpose leftovers: Instead of canned salmon, you can also use leftover cooked salmon. You could even make a salmon and asparagus dinner one night (make some extra!) and transform the leftovers the next day into this pasta salad!
Love asparagus? Make the most of asparagus season with this amazing collection of delicious and easy asparagus recipes!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s what you’ll need to make this asparagus and salmon pasta salad…
Detailed ingredient list and directions located in the recipe card below.
- Canned Salmon: I prefer to use boneless and skinless canned salmon in this recipe. However, you can use any type of canned salmon you like. You could also use leftover cooked salmon instead.
- Asparagus: Trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces.
- Pasta: Any short cut pasta that you like (e.g. rotini, farfalle, macaroni, fusilli, orecchiette, etc.).
- Hard Boiled Eggs: Cooled and chopped up. Here’s my favorite way to make perfect hard boiled eggs (stovetop and Instant Pot methods).
- Green Onions: Thinly sliced.
- Lemon Dill Dressing: A creamy dressing made from mayo, yogurt, fresh dill, zest and juice of a lemon, Dijon mustard, onion powder and some salt (or Herbamare) and pepper. The tang of the yogurt nicely balances the richness of the mayo. I prefer to use full-fat Greek yogurt but any type of plain yogurt will work.
How To Make Salmon Asparagus Pasta Salad
This pasta salad is really easy to make! You’ll be enjoying it in no time!
- Cook the pasta and asparagus: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook 1 pound of short-cut pasta according to the package. A couple minutes before the pasta’s done, toss in 1 pound of asparagus (trimmed and chopped into bite-sized pieces). Once everything’s cooked, drain and rinse under cold water to cool it all down quickly. Shake off the extra water and set aside.
- Make the dressing: In a small mixing bowl, whisk together 1 cup mayonnaise, ½ cup Greek yogurt (or plain yogurt), ¼ cup finely chopped fresh dill, the zest and juice of 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon onion powder and salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Stir until smooth and creamy.
- Assemble and serve: Transfer the cooled pasta and asparagus to a large mixing bowl along with 2-3 cans of salmon (drained), 4 chopped hard boiled eggs and ½ cup sliced green onions. Pour over the dressing and toss until well combined. Eat immediately or refrigerate first for 30-60 minutes to help the flavors meld together.
Variations
Pasta salads are easy to customize and this one is no exception! Here are a few ideas…
- Make it gluten free: Simply use gluten free pasta.
- Make it dairy free: Substitute the yogurt for additional mayo.
- Use tuna instead: Swap the salmon for canned tuna.
- Add more veggies: Add in additional veggies like peas, bell peppers, celery, radishes, etc.
- Use leftovers: This salad is a great way to repurpose any leftover cooked salmon or asparagus from the night before.
- Skip the hard boiled eggs: Not a fan of eggs? Just leave them out!
Tips
A Few Tips
- Lemon Zest Tip: It’s much easier to zest the lemon before juicing it. I like to use a microplane zester grater. Make sure to grate off only the yellow part of the peel (the white part is bitter).
- Cook your pasta a little bit extra: Just 1-2 minutes past al dente keeps the pasta nice and tender even after it cools down.
- Make Ahead Tip: This pasta salad tastes even better after it has had a bit of time to chill out in the fridge (helps the flavors meld together). However, if you want to make this recipe more than a couple hours in advance, I recommend preparing the salad components and the dressing separately and then tossing together before serving. Otherwise the pasta will soak up the dressing and it won’t be as creamy. Another option is to just leave some of the dressing aside or mix through some extra mayo before serving.
A Few Questions Answered
Any type you like is fine! I prefer to use skinless & boneless canned salmon in this recipe.
Absolutely! This salad is also a great way to use up leftover cooked salmon. Grilled, poached, baked, pan fried – any cooking method is fine. Just flake it up and use in place of the canned salmon.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
This salad is a complete meal that can be served on its own for lunch or dinner. Or you can serve it with fresh cut up fruit, a veggie and dip platter, sandwiches, corn on the cob or with grilled foods. Also makes a delicious addition to any cookout, picnic or potluck spread.
This salad is an excellent meal prep lunch or dinner option. However, it will naturally absorb some dressing when stored in the fridge for more than a few hours. To keep it creamy, set some of the dressing aside to mix through right before serving (or mix through some extra mayo). This pasta salad is also a great way to use up typical meal prep ingredients like hard boiled eggs and cooked salmon.
More Spring/Summer Salads
Looking for some more delicious salad recipes? Here are a few more that are perfect for spring and summer:
Let me know if you try out this Salmon Asparagus Pasta Salad! I would love to hear about it. Please leave me a comment below.
Salmon Asparagus Pasta Salad
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 25 min
- Yield: 8-10 servings
- Category: Salad
- Method: Mix
- Cuisine: American
Description
Salmon and asparagus are such a good match, so turning them into a pasta salad just makes sense! This Salmon Asparagus Pasta Salad is loaded with fresh asparagus, flaky canned salmon (or fresh!), hard boiled eggs, pasta and the most delicious creamy lemon dill dressing. So good, so easy, so perfect for spring and summer!
Ingredients
For The Salad:
- 1 pound uncooked short-cut pasta (e.g. rotini, macaroni, orecchiette, farfalle, etc.)
- 1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 or 3 (5 –6 ounce) cans of salmon, drained
- 4 hard boiled eggs, diced
- ½ cup sliced green onions
For The Dressing:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup Greek yogurt (or plain yogurt)
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh dill
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced (about 1 tablespoon zest and 3 tablespoons juice)
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta and asparagus: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions, adding in the asparagus 2-3 minutes before the pasta is done. Drain and immediately rinse under cold water until the pasta is cooled. Drain well and set aside.
- Make dressing: In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients until combined.
- Assemble and serve: Transfer the cooled pasta and asparagus to a large bowl along with the salmon, hard boiled eggs and green onion. Pour over the dressing and toss until well combined. Adjust seasonings to taste and eat immediately or refrigerate for 30-60 minutes first to help the flavors meld together.
Notes
- Salmon: I prefer to use skinless and boneless canned wild salmon in this recipe but any type you like works. Instead of canned salmon, you can also use leftover cooked salmon. Great way to repurpose leftovers!
- Lemon Zest Tip: It’s much easier to zest the lemon before juicing it. I like to use a microplane zester grater. Make sure to grate off only the yellow part of the peel (the white part is bitter).
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- Make Ahead: If you want to make this recipe more than a couple hours in advance, I recommend prepping the salad components and the dressing separately and then tossing together before serving. Otherwise the pasta will soak up the dressing and it won’t be as creamy. Another option is to set some of the dressing aside or mix through some extra mayo before serving.
That lemon dill dressing was perfect with this asparagus salad! Definitely a keeper recipe! Elaine
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it! I love lemon and dill with salmon so I just had to incorporate them:)
Such a delicious and refreshing way to enjoy asparagus season! Will be making this pasta salad again for our upcoming BBQ dinner.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it! It will be amazing as part of a BBQ dinner!
Great easy weeknight meal or lunch prep – you were right it was so tasty and I loved that I can use up my canned salmon!
Canned salmon is such a great pantry staple and this salad is definitely a great way to use it!
I love the flavour combination in your pasta salad. Dill, Salmon, asparagus altogether in one salad sound like bliss to me. The next time I have leftover salmon (I don’t eat canned), I’m giving this a try!
This salad is great with leftover salmon too! Hope you enjoy!
My family and I love this quick and easy version of salmon pasta salad. The addition of eggs is great!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I can’t wait to try this pasta salad. I mean, it looks a lot better than the recipe I keep handy, so I bet I will replace it with this one!
Enjoy!
Love this twist on a regular pasta salad! It’ll go great with the other dishes on our 4th of July BBQ menu!
It will make a great addition for sure!
This was so tasty, everyone raved about it at the potluck! I will make this the next time I have leftover salmon. This recipe is a great way to repurpose leftovers!
I’m so happy that it was a hit at your potluck! It’s definitely a fantastic way to also use up leftover salmon.
Love how easy this recipe is. It’s perfect for our family!
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
We had leftover salmon so I used that, and it was delicious! So creamy and flavorful. Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it and put that leftover salmon to good use!