For the dressing:
2 lemons
1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/4 cups basil leaves, tightly packed
1 cup baby spinach leaves, tightly packed
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup raw cashews
1/3 cup nutritional yeast or grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the pasta:
1 tablespoon salt
1 pound dry medium pasta shells
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
12 spears thin green asparagus, tough stems trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 fennel bulb, cored and very thinly sliced
6 ounces drained, jarred pitted green olives
3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
3 scallions, thinly sliced
Set a large pot of water (about 3 quarts) with 1 tablespoon salt over high heat and bring it to a boil. Meanwhile, make the dressing. Zest the lemons and set it aside. You will add it to the pasta salad later. Juice the lemons—you’ll need about 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. In a blender, add the lemon juice, olive oil, basil, spinach, garlic, cashews, nutritional yeast, salt, and black pepper, and blend until very smooth. Cook the pasta and vegetables. When the water comes to a boil, add the pasta. About 2 minutes before the pasta is cooked—follow the cook time suggested on the packaging—add the frozen peas and asparagus to the pot. Cook for the remaining 2 minutes, then drain everything into a colander set in the sink. Rinse with cold tap water to stop the pasta, peas, and asparagus from cooking further in the residual heat. Leave the colander in the sink to drain thoroughly. In a large bowl, add the cooled pasta, peas, and asparagus, plus the fennel, olives, chives, scallions, and lemon zest. Pour in the dressing and toss until everything is evenly coated. Season to taste with more salt and black pepper. Enjoy the pasta salad chilled—pop it in the fridge for up to a day—or right away at room temperature. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.