Points

Total Time: 35 min

Prep: 15 min

Cook: 20 min

Serves: 4

Easy

Bring the fresh taste of the farmer's market to your table with this easy-to-make pasta salad that's loaded with delicious vegetables mixed with the sharp flavor of blue cheese. If you have trouble with the asparagus slipping between the grill grates, simply thread about six or seven of them onto a skewer, rotating occasionally so that they cook evenly on all sides. When choosing asparagus, look for thicker stalks, as those tend not to overcook on the grill. Serve this salad as a healthy and delicious lunch on its own or alongside other salads such as fruit salad or a green salad.

Ingredients:

• 4 sprays cooking spray
• 10 oz uncooked bow tie pasta
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 8 oz uncooked asparagus, tough ends trimmed
• 1 medium yellow bell pepper, cut into 2-inch pieces
• ¼ cup white wine vinegar
• 4 tsp blue cheese, crumbled
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 medium garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, basil, or chives, chopped (optional)
• ⅛ tsp table salt, or to taste
• ⅛ tsp black pepper, or to taste

Instructions

1. Off heat, coat grill rack or grill pan with nonstick spray. Preheat gas grill or grill pan to medium-high, or prepare medium-high fire in charcoal grill.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta and transfer to large bowl. Toss pasta with oil.
3. Lightly coat asparagus and bell pepper with nonstick spray. Grill vegetables, turning bell pepper once and asparagus occasionally, until tender, 5 to 8 minutes depending on thickness. Transfer vegetables to cutting board and let cool. Cut vegetables into bite-size pieces.
4. In small bowl, whisk vinegar, cheese, sugar, and garlic for dressing. Mix dressing, grilled vegetables, tomatoes, and herbs (if using) into pasta. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Let cool to room temperature before serving.
5. Serving Size: about 1 1/2 cups.