Use This Green Vegetable To Brighten Up Your Summer Pasta Salads

Beach picnics, backyard barbeques, and block parties just wouldn't be the same without summer pasta salads. They're the quintessential accompaniment to fried chicken, ribs, burgers, or even hot dogs. As synonymous with summer as watermelon and lemonade, a chilly pasta salad offers a welcome cool down when the temps heat up. While creamy macaroni salad may be ubiquitous when it comes to the nostalgia of summer pasta salad, you don't have to let it be relegated to that same old drab mayonnaise mess your grandma's grandma made since time began. 

You can brighten things up with the addition of one super tasty green vegetable that will not only perk up that pasty pasta but elevate it to a whole new level — asparagus is the green veggie you need in mayo-based salads. Cooked correctly, asparagus has a distinct flavor unto itself. At once fresh and herbaceous, a little nutty, and even buttery with a sweet finish, asparagus is (in flavor and texture) very akin to the edible bits of an artichoke. 

Both the simplicity and complexities of asparagus, along with its mild umami pop (owed in part to its high glutamate levels) make asparagus ideal for breaking up the monotony of just about any pasta salad from traditional veggie antipasti Italian pasta salad to more creative faves like bloody mary pasta salad. Asparagus adds a vibrant pop of color and savory flavor, as well as a crisp dimensionality that enlivens any pasta dish.

Typically considered a spring vegetable, asparagus' long season begins in February and hits peak deliciousness in April through June. The easiest way to pick the best bunch is to look for vibrantly-colored varieties (of verdant green, deep purple, and white), unwithered, crisp, firm — not limp — spears with tops that are tightly closed and ends that are not dried out. Asparagus thickness varies, but you can have perfectly tender asparagus from the skinniest of legends to the chonkiest of spears. That's because the difference between the thickness has more to do with the age of the original plant. 

Since asparagus is a perennial (meaning it comes back every year), young new plants have to first establish their underground crown, which means it has less time and energy for the plant to bulk up those stalks. But with each subsequent year that the plant yields, it will grow thicker spears. What's most important to tenderness is those indicators of peak ripeness. Buy asparagus locally in its growing season to ensure the very best flavor and texture. To prepare asparagus, separate the soft, edible portion from the more fibrous, woodier portion at the bottom. 

One way to do this is to use its natural snapping point. Grasp the bottom with one hand while gently bending it with the other at the top until it naturally snaps. You can also cut the ends where the color transitions from white to green. Asparagus takes very little time to cook (around five to 15 minutes depending on size and cooking style). There are also many popular ways to cook asparagus. Simply pan-fry, blanch, steam, grill, or roast it before tossing it in your summer salad.