Italian Pasta Salad is a must have vegan side dish for Summer get-togethers, BBQs and potlucks, but you can enjoy it as a light lunch/dinner all-year round. Bursting with Mediterranean flavors, this tasty dish is a guaranteed hit.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Healthy: This pasta salad is full of healthy veggies and herbs! Tomatoes, artichokes, olives and fresh basil all provide a lot of vitamins and anti-oxidants.
Easy, Quick: Cook the pasta, chop the veggies and you’re good to go!
Meal-prep friendly: Cold pasta salad is one of my favorite “on-the-go” lunches. You can make it ahead one day before and the flavor is even better after the ingredients “get to know each other” in the fridge.
A flavor bomb: The all-Mediterranean “cast” of this dish results in a ridiculously flavorful and addicting side dish, that you will want to make again and again.
Ingredients
- rotini pasta
- cherry tomatoes
- kalamata olives
- artichoke hearts
- sun-dried tomatoes
- red onion
- olive oil
- balsamic vinegar
- red wine vinegar
- nutritional yeast
- salt, ground black pepper
- fresh basil
How to Make
STEP 1:
Fill a large pot with water, add ½ tbsp salt and bring it to a boil. Add the dry pasta and cook for about 10 minutes (until al dente). Drain the pasta, rinse with cold water and set aside.
STEP 2:
While the pasta is cooking, measure out and prepare the vegetables.
STEP 3:
In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the dressing.
STEP 4:
In a large salad bowl, combine the cooked pasta, chopped veggies and dressing. Mix util everything is well incorporated. Top with chopped basil and stir again.
Substitutions
Note: The nutritional info of this recipe is calculated with the original ingredients.
Wheat pasta: To make this pasta salad gluten-free, simply use gluten-free pasta. If you don’t have access to rotini pasta, fusilli, farfalle or penne pasta are all great substitutes.
Kalamata olives: Green and black olives work great with this recipe.
Fresh basil: Fresh basil can be quite expensive and difficult to get, so feel free to use dried basil (about 1 teaspoon).
Nutritional yeast: You can use vegan parmesan cheese as well.
FAQ
I recommend using rotini or farfalle pasta as their shapes help keep tiny bits of the dressing and spices, giving you more goodness with every bite.
Yes, you should! By rinsing the cooked pasta in cold water, you help remove the starchy water on them that sticks the pieces together.
It’s not necessary. If you are making warm pasta salad, simply just add the cooked pasta to the salad immediately after draining. If you are making cold pasta salad, rinse the pasta with cold water and then add to the salad.
Generally yes, pasta salad is healthy to eat every day, just make sure to add some veggies and healthy fats. You can use whole grain pasta to make it even healthier.
More tasty vegan recipes:
Pesto Pasta Salad
Red Lentil Pasta Salad
Pearl Couscous Salad
Italian Couscous Salad
Related recipe roundups:
Mediterranean, Italian, pasta salad, side dishes, BBQ, Summer, picnic
Italian Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry rotini pasta
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes (chopped)
- ½ cup kalamata olives (halved)
- 1 cup artichoke hearts (chopped)
- 3 pieces sun-dried tomatoes (chopped)
- ½ small red onion (chopped)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp nutritional yeast
- ⅓ tsp salt
- ⅓ tsp ground black pepper
- 2 cups fresh basil (chopped)
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water, add ½ tbsp salt and bring it to a boil. Add the dry pasta and cook for about 10 minutes (until al dente). Drain the pasta, rinse with cold water and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, measure out and prepare the vegetables.
- In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the dressing.
- In a large salad bowl, combine the cooked pasta, chopped veggies and dressing. Mix util everything is well incorporated. Top with chopped basil and stir again.
This was really good, thanks for sharing.
I love putting this salad together from time to time. Actually tastes so cheesy with the nutritional yeast!