Sun-Dried Tomato, White Bean, and Goat Cheese Pasta

A simple, colorful pasta salad that's perfect for lunches, picnics, BBQ's, and easy dinners. Fresh pasta tossed with homemade basil vinaigrette, creamy goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, white beans, and finished with sliced avocado. This is a (mayo free) pasta salad that everyone will love.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup fresh basil
• 2 fresh chives
• 2 sprigs fresh dill
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste
• kosher salt
• 1 pound short cut pasta
• 1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 4-6 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled
• 1 jar (8 ounces) oil packed sun-dried tomatoes chopped
• 1 can (14 ounces) white beans, drained
• 1 avocado, sliced

Instructions

1. 1

   1. To make the vinaigrette. In a blender, combine the olive oil, basil, chives, dill, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and a pinch red pepper flakes until smooth. Taste and adjust salt as needed.2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta to al dente, according to package directions. During the last 2-3 minutes of cooking, add the asparagus to the water. Drain and add to a serving bowl.4. Toss the hot pasta and asparagus with the goat cheese and a couple large spoonfuls of the basil vinaigrette, toss well until the goat cheese coats the pasta completely. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and white beans, tossing to combine. Top the pasta with avocado. Serve the remaining vinaigrette on the side.