Vegan Pesto Pasta Salad
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. It's also gluten-free, soy-free, and oil-free.
Servings: 8
Calories: 198kcal
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.
Notes
Leftovers/Meal Prep: Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to four days. Freezing is not recommended.
Nutrition
Calories: 198kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 166mg | Potassium: 242mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 899IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 1mg
