Is pasta salad vegan friendly?

Most pasta salads are not vegan-friendly, because they're coated in dairy-based dressings and/or tossed with cheese, eggs, meat, etc. This vegan pasta salad, however, is one of the best for simplicity and flavor!

Is it best to make pasta salad the day before?

Timing a pasta salad can be a little tricky. Letting a good salad marinate for a bit can help deepen and mingle the flavors. If you let it sit too long though, your noodles will start to get soggy. Some people make pasta salads the day before, but I prefer to make them the morning of - so they get a few hours in the fridge, but the noodles are still fresh.

Should you rinse pasta for cold pasta salad?

No need to rinse pasta for cold pasta salads. This is often done to make sure the noodles stop cooking immediately, because they need some firmness to hold up in the pasta salad. This vegan pasta salad recipe, however, accomplishes the task by tossing the pasta in olive oil and cooling in the fridge.

20 Minute Vegan Pasta Salad

Name: Vegan Pasta Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 16 oz. rotini pasta; 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained; 12 oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained; 6 oz. jar pitted Kalamata olives; 1 cup banana pepper rings; 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved; 1 green bell pepper, diced; 1/2 small red onion, diced; 2/3 cup olive oil; 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar; 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley; zest of 1 lemon (about 1 tablespoon); juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons); 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard; 2 cloves garlic, finely minced; Kosher salt; fresh cracked pepper

Vegan Pasta Salad

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This quick and easy vegan pasta salad comes together in just 20 minutes and is loaded with tons of veggies and al dente pasta tossed in a simple lemon balsamic vinaigrette. Whether you’re vegan or looking for something lighter in the hottest part of summer, this vegan pasta salad is all the goodness of summer without the dairy.

Author: Kylie
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 8 servings 1x
Category: Pasta Salad
Method: Stove Top
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Units Scale

16 oz. rotini pasta
15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained
12 oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained
6 oz. jar pitted Kalamata olives
1 cup banana pepper rings
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 small red onion, diced

Dressing

2/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
zest of 1 lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
Kosher salt
fresh cracked pepper

Instructions

Cook pasta just until al dente according to package directions. Toss in olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Pop it in the fridge to cool for a few minutes.
Add cooled pasta, garbanzo beans, artichoke hearts, olives, banana pepper rings, tomatoes, bell pepper, and red onion to a large bowl.
In a large measuring cup or mason jar combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, parsley, lemon zest and juice, Dijon mustard, garlic, and a couple large pinches of salt and pepper. Mix until dressing is well combined and emulsified.
Pour dressing over the pasta salad and toss to coat evenly.
Garnish with parsley if desired and enjoy!

Equipment

large bowl

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measuring cup

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Notes

Don’t forget to rinse your garbanzo beans in cold water. Doing so can cut the sodium content in half. This also allows you to adjust the salt flavor yourself so you don’t end up with a salad that’s too salty.

Because this pasta salad is vegan, it’s easy to store leftovers. If it sits out for a bit during a meal, there’s no dairy to sour, so you can cover and cool it in the fridge for a few days before the noodles start to get too soggy.

Find it online: https://midwestfoodieblog.com/vegan-pasta-salad/