Summer Fruit and Pasta Salad

This beautiful summer fruit and pasta salad is a fun fruity dish to highlight summer produce. Ready in less than 30 minutes and packed with protein and nutrients.

I've been making a version of this salad for a few years now. I keep returning to it because it has bold flavors and is so easy to make. I love making it in the summer, when the produce is at its peak - hello, cherry season!

This salad is a green salad, fruit salad, and pasta salad all in one!

Using fruits in savory salads is so underrated. Fruits add sweetness and texture that help enhance the overall flavor of a savory salad.

And pasta adds a heartiness to the salad that you won't get with produce alone.

With a base of greens, you're still getting the veggies and fiber that makes a salad so healthy.

Jump to:

• Why I love this Summer Fruit and Pasta Salad
• Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
• How to make this Summer Fruit Pasta Salad
• Recipe Prayer
• More Summer Salads
• Tried this recipe?
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Why I love this Summer Fruit and Pasta Salad

• Dietary needs - this salad is vegan, dairy-free, plant-based, oil-free, gluten-free, and sugar-free. It's also high in fiber and protein!
• Quick and easy - this dish comes together in about 30 minutes, perfect for weeknight dinner
• Celebrates summer produce - with a three summer fruits, this salad highlights the fresh flavors of summer!
• Gluten-free & high protein option - I used a bean-based pasta for extra protein and an easily gluten-free swap
• Salad that's a meal - this salad has vegetables, fruits, healthy carbohydrates, and protein. It's a hearty salad that you can serve as a main dish

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

• Rotini: I used chickpea rotini for extra protein. Feel free to use a wheat-based rotini, or even another short pasta shape like penne.
• Fresh Spinach: I like this salad with spinach, but you can also use mixed greens.
• Fennel Bulb: if you haven't tried fennel before, you definitely should! Fennel has a sweet, minty flavor that perfectly complements the brightness of the fruits
• Edamame: edamame adds protein to the salad. I buy frozen shelled edamame and heat it up in the microwave for quick preparation.
• Cherries, Mango, Nectarines/Plums: these fruits are all at their peak in mid-summer, so they work well together in the salad. Feel free to use your favorite fruits - berries or other stone fruits would also work here.

Dressing

This dressing is simple yet bright!

• Maple Syrup: for sweetness
• Tahini: a fat source like tahini helps to emulsify the dressing. You could also use almond butter or sunflower seed butter.
• Lemon Juice & Zest: the citrus complements the sweetness of the fruits so well!
• Salt

How to make this Summer Fruit Pasta Salad

Step 1. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions.

Step 2. In a small bowl whisk together the dressing ingredients.

Step 3. Assemble the salad. Place a bed of spinach on a large platter or bowl. Top with the fennel, cooked pasta, edamame, cherries, nectarines, and mango. Drizzle with the dressing. Enjoy!

Storage

Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to three days. For longer storage, store the dressing separately from the rest of the salad. And, ideally, store the greens separately from the pasta and fruit.

Recipe Prayer

Thank you God for this salad that nourishes our bodies and celebrates the seasonality of your creation. We are so grateful for the food that we have. Amen.

More Summer Salads

Tried this recipe?

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📖 Recipe