Vegan Rainbow Pasta Salad
Pasta salad is one of my favorite meals for something fresh, flavorful and filling. It’s such a great way to eat your daily serving of veggies, while not missing out on any flavor. This is also one of those dishes that you can bring to a party or a BBQ for a perfect side dish. Whenever I bring this to a party, I get questions for the recipe because it’s loved by all ages.
What veggies can I add to this?
Honestly, you can add any vegetables that you enjoy eating raw. You can add cucumbers, shredded cabbage, kale, carrots, the options are endless. I would stick to veggies that taste good together/ with the dressing. I would stay away from raw zucchini, mushrooms and eggplant, they would not taste great raw.
You can also add pickled veggies like pickled red onion, regular pickles, capers, olives or even roasted red bell peppers from the bottle. Pasta salad is such a great customizable recipe, you can’t mess it up.
Don’t forget you can add some other great herbs as well! Basil, cilantro or chives would all taste amazing in this recipe. I recommend sticking to using fresh herbs instead of dried herbs so you get the most out of the flavors.
Can I use other pasta shapes?
Absolutely! My recommendation would be to avoid pasta shapes that are longer in size. Pasta like spaghetti or linguine would be a bit awkward with raw veggies in my opinion.
Some other fun pasta shapes you could use are:
- Penne
- Rigatoni
- Ziti
- Rotini
- Orecchiette
An option get more protein into this meal is to use protein pasta or red lentil pasta! I’m a big fan of the Barilla Protein Pasta and the Barilla Red Lentil Pasta. Both of these options have around 15 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber.
Additions
- Cheese
- Feta Cheese
- Parmesan Cheese
- Goat Cheese
- Fresh Mozzarella Balls
- Protein
- Roasted Chickpeas
- Pan-Fried or Air-Fried Tofu
- Air-Fried Tempeh
Vegan Rainbow Pasta Salad
DifficultyEasy
Servings8
Prep time20 minutes
Cook time10 minutes
Total time30 minutes
Do you have loads of veggies in your fridge that are about to go bad? This pasta salad is a perfect way to get good use out of those veggies.
Pasta salad is one of my favorite dishes to bring to any party or BBQ because it’s such a light and fresh addition to heavy party meals.
This is also a great, customizable meal where you can add any protein, veggies or even cheese!
Ingredients
- 12 Oz Tri-Color Rotini
- 2 Cups Cherry Tomatoes
- 1 1/2 Bell Peppers
- 2 Cups Broccoli
- 1/2 Large Red Onion
- 1/4 Cup Parsley
- 1/3 Cup EVOO
- 1/3 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 1 Tsp Black Pepper
- 1 Tsp Crush Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 Clove Garlic
Instructions
- 1
Boil the pasta in heavily salted water according to the box. Drain and rinse in cold water. Add to a large salad bowl and toss with some olive oil.
- 2
Evenly chop the bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, and red onion. Finely mince the parsley. Add all of the veggies to the salad bowl.
- 3
In a small jar, add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and the crushed garlic.
- 4
Add the dressing in with the pasta and veggies and toss well.
- 5
Serve right away or for a better developed flavor, make a few hours/day ahead!
Comments closed