Sweet, tangy, colorful, and fresh Strawberry Avocado Pasta Salad with poppy seeds is ready in under 20 minutes and a great side dish or mains for everyday eats or holiday gatherings.
Suitable for vegan diets. Post includes Weight Watchers Points.
This strawberry avocado pasta salad is a fresh main dish / side dish or snack that is pleasing to the eye as well as the palate.
Plus it is an easy way to get kids to eat pasta and fresh fruits. #winwin.
This is great whipped it up in the summer when berries are everywhere, but can be made all year round using seasonal fruit around.
The addition of pasta to a fruity salad means that becomes a main filling meal that everyone will love.
Table of Contents
Why Make This Recipe
- Colorful, quick, and easy – ready in under 20 minutes.
- Light and fresh with a balsamic vinaigrette that can be swapped out for other dressings to suit your taste.
- All occasions – works for any occasion including spring and summer gatherings, picnics, 4th of July celebration, potlucks, and lunch boxes!
- Feed a Crowd – Double or even triple this recipe to feed a crowd.
- Affordable – it is affordable and made with everyday ingredients.
- Leftovers – a great way to use up leftover fruit and leftover pasta.
- Dietary – it is vegan and can easily be made gluten free.
Make more delicious recipes like this Grilled Watermelon Salad, and Egg Salad Sandwich.
Ingredient Notes
- Pasta – I used bow tie pasta but you can use other pasta shapes that you prefer. And use a gluten-free pasta to make this a gluten free dish.
- Strawberries – cut fresh strawberries up just before making the strawberry pasta salad.
- Avocado – Use ripe sweet ones.
- Spinach – Feel free to use other greens like romaine lettuce and arugula.
- Poppy seeds – They add a great crunch. If you don’t like them, you can skip them!
- Green onions – use both the white and green parts.
- Balsamic vinaigrette – use as much or as little as you want.
How To Make Strawberry Avocado Pasta Salad
Get full ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions, drain when done, and rinse with cold water so it stops cooking.
- Add the cooled pasta to a bowl along with the spinach, strawberries, avocado, mint, green onions, poppy seeds and balsamic vinaigrette. Mix, taste, and adjust dressing or add seasonings, as needed.
- Allow it to chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.
Tips For Success
- Stop your pasta from cooking by running it under cold water as soon as you have drained it.
- For extra flavor, marinate the strawberries with some balsamic vinaigrette for 30 minutes beforehand.
Variations
- Add nuts – Roasted almond flakes add a great crunch to this.
- Make it spicy – If your family loves spicy food, add a bit of crushed red pepper or diced jalapenos to the salad.
- Add veggies and fruit – crunchy bell peppers, cooked green beans, caramelized onions, and blueberries all make great additions.
- Add cheese – if not vegan, you can add some diced feta or mozzarella pearls to the salad.
Budget-Friendly Tips
- Add more pasta – bulk it out with extra pasta and add flavor with extra salad dressing.
- Swap out the strawberries for other berries that you have on hand.
Make Ahead And Storage
- Prep Ahead – Cook the pasta, cool it down, add a little bit of olive oil so it does not stick and keep in the fridge for up to 6 hours in advance.
- Store – Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Freeze – I do not recommend freezing this recipe.
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Weight Watchers Points
There are 7 Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving of this.
Tools To Make This
- A saucepan.
- A sharp knife.
- Measuring cups and spoons.
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Did you make this recipe? Then I would love to hear how it turned out. Please leave a comment and star rating below. And I really appreciate you sharing this recipe with your family and friends. Enjoy every mouthful 😊🍲 – Bintu
Get The Strawberry Avocado Pasta Salad Recipe:
Strawberry Avocado Pasta Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound (450g) pasta any shape you prefer
- 5 cups (150g) baby spinach
- 1 pound (453g) strawberries hulled and sliced
- 3 avocados peeled, destoned and diced
- 4 green onions slice and use both the white and green parts
- Balsamic vinaigrette to taste
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- fresh mint leaves for optional garnish
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions, drain when done, and rinse with cold water so it stops cooking.
- Add the cooled down pasta to a bowl along with the spinach, strawberries, avocado, green onions, poppy seeds and balsamic vinaigrette, Mix, taste, and adjust amount of dressing, as needed.
- Allow salad to chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, then garnish with mint leaves and serve.
Notes
- Stop your pasta cooking by running it under cold water as soon as you have drained it.
- For extra flavor, marinate the strawberries with some balsamic vinaigrette for 30 minutes beforehand.
- There are 7 Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving of this.
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