This Vegan Pesto Pasta Salad makes the perfect summer side dish or lunch entrée. Made with gluten-free pasta and vegan almond pesto sauce, this fresh, hearty, and flavor-packed salad has a spicy kick.
This vegan pesto pasta salad is gluten-free, soy-free, and oil-free. For more pasta salad inspo, check out our Kale Caesar Pasta Salad, packed with over 40 grams of plant-based protein per serving.
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Why You'll Love This Pasta Salad
- Healthy and Nutritious: Loaded with fresh veggies, and healthy fats from almonds and olives.
- Quick and Easy: Ready in under 30 minutes, making it ideal for busy weekdays.
- Versatile: Add air fryer falafel balls or chickpeas for a protein boost. Use arugula basil pesto for more of a pine nut flavor.
- Satisfies Most Dietary Preferences: Oil-free, easily gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free.
- Meal Prep Friendly: Tastes even better the next day, perfect for batch cooking.
Vegan Pesto Pasta Salad Ingredients
- Whole grain pasta (fusilli, penne, or shells): Provides a hearty base, rich in fiber. Use brown rice gluten-free pasta if gluten sensitive. If you are not gluten-sensitive, this whole wheat pasta works wonderfully in this salad.
- Vegan almond pesto sauce (or arugula basil pesto): The herbaceous goodness gives this salad that classic pesto flavor without the dairy or oil.
- Kalamata olives and pickled jalapenos: Offers a savory depth and a spicy kick.
- Grape or cherry tomatoes: Add juiciness and a burst of fresh flavor, rich in antioxidants.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Why is This Salad Oil-Free?
This pasta salad recipe does not use olive oil or any oil. Instead, we use the actual olives combined with lemon juice and water. Omitting oil helps to reduce the calorie density of this yummy side dish or lunch entree. If you're wondering about whether olive oil is right for you, check out this article Is Olive Oil Healthy?
How to Prepare
Prepare pasta according to package directions. I used gluten-free brown rice spiral (fusilli) pasta, but whole wheat pasta works well if you don't have gluten sensitivity. When the pasta is done cooking, drain, rinse in cold water, and set aside.
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If cherry or grape tomatoes are bigger than bite size, cut them in half.
Take cooked, drained, rinsed, and cooled pasta and put it into a large mixing bowl. Add vegan almond pesto sauce, and lemon juice to the pasta and stir carefully to combine. If you need to thin out the pesto sauce, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water.
Add cherry or grape tomatoes, chopped red onion, chopped sweet bell pepper, pitted kalamata olives, pickled jalapenos, lemon juice, and optional chickpeas (if using). Carefully stir so the pesto sauce coats the veggies.
To serve, add pasta to a bed of arugula or spinach and top with fresh chopped parsley. If you like a cheesy flavor, sprinkle some easy vegan parmesan cheese on top. Salt and pepper to taste.
If you're looking for another Italian-inspired summer dish, check out our Italian Gazpacho cold soup.
Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to four days. Freezing is not recommended.
Other Summer Salad Recipes to Check Out
We hope you love this vegan pesto pasta salad as much as we do. Please rate and leave a comment below. Be sure to share a picture on Instagram and tag us @danielsplaterecipes so we can see your creation!
Vegan Pesto Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 10 oz. whole grain fusilli or penne pasta—I used brown rice for GF
- 1 batch vegan almond pesto
- 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
- ½ cup sliced red onion
- ¾ cup diced sweet red bell pepper
- ⅓ cup pitted Kalamata olives
- ¼ to ⅓ cup pickled jalapenos chopped
- 1 ½ Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 ½ cups arugula or spinach
- 2 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
Optional add-ons
- 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas or one 15 ounce can drained and rinsed
- 1 Tbsp easy vegan parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Prepare pasta according to package directions. I used gluten-free brown rice spiral (fusilli) pasta, but whole wheat pasta works well if you don't have gluten sensitivity. When the pasta is done cooking, drain, rinse in cold water, and set aside.
- If cherry or grape tomatoes are bigger than bite size, cut them in half.
- Take cooked, drained, rinsed, and cooled pasta and put it into a large mixing bowl. Add vegan almond pesto sauce, and lemon juice to the pasta and stir carefully to combine. If you need to thin out the pesto sauce, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water.
- Add cherry or grape tomatoes, chopped red onion, chopped sweet bell pepper, pitted kalamata olives, pickled jalapenos, lemon juice, and optional chickpeas (if using). Carefully stir so the pesto sauce coats the veggies.
- To serve, add pasta to a bed of arugula or spinach and top with fresh chopped parsley. If you like a cheesy flavor, sprinkle some easy vegan parmesan cheese on top. Salt and pepper to taste.
Gigi & Sersie says
The pesto with the pickled jalapenos and kalamata olives is a flavor bomb! Yummy, quick and easy to make.
Liz P says
Fantastic! The pickled jalapenos are a gamechanger. I did add the chickpeas since it was a main meal. This has a lot of flavor and we didn't feel bloated and weighed down after. Thank you for this.
Gigi & Sersie says
Nice! We're so glad you enjoyed this.