This Healthy Vegan Pasta Salad is the perfect quick and easy lunch or dinner. Whether you are packing lunch or making a dish to take to a party, this recipe is a winner. To say I am a pasta lover would be an understatement. Pasta can certainly be part of a healthy lifestyle, especially when you pack in veggies! Get 10+ Pasta Salad Recipes Here!
Why I Love This Recipe
- Easy Recipe: Making a fresh pasta salad takes 15-20 minutes and minimal cook time! It’s great to prep ahead and stores well in the fridge too.
- Plant-Based: No animal products are needed in this pasta salad. Whether you are dairy-free, egg-free, or vegan, this dish is perfect for you!
- High Fiber: I love pasta salad because it’s an easy way to pack in fiber-rich veggies in a delicious way. I also use chickpea pasta to bump up the fiber content even more!
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Notes on Ingredients
- Pasta: I used Banza penne chickpea pasta (naturally gluten-free pasta) to bump up the protein and fiber, but feel free to use any kind of pasta you like.
- Vinegar: You can use any vinegar of your choice like red wine, apple cider, white wine, or balsamic. My favorite here is red wine!
- Olive Oil: If you’re oil free, you can omit the oil but it adds a delicious rich flavor and smoothness.
- Arugula: Can substitute with spinach. If you’re making this salad ahead of time by a day or two, I’d recommend leaving out the arugula and adding it just before serving.
- Olives: Kalamata are my favorite in this salad! Green or black olives would work too.
Please take note that this is important information about the ingredients used in this recipe and the FULL recipe with measurements and details can be found DOWN BELOW in the recipe card.
How do you make Healthy Vegan Pasta Salad?
- Boil pasta.
- While pasta is boiling, whisk dressing ingredients in a bowl until smooth.
- Chop the veggies and set aside.
- Strain pasta and rinse with cold water.
- In a large bowl, toss pasta with arugula, olives, red onion, and dressing. Serve and enjoy!
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Commonly Asked Questions
I’d suggest a side of Grilled Corn Salad with Guacamole and maybe Air-Fried Tofu Nuggets for some protein. For dessert, which is essential of course, I’d make Gluten Free Cherry Cobbler or No Bake Vanilla Cookie Pie!
Sure! You can use gluten-free noodles or any other kind of pasta in pasta salad. Be sure not to overcook the pasta, in fact I’d suggest cooking the pasta al dente, to avoid it becoming mushy.
This pasta salad will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 4 days. It holds up really nicely! No need to reheat leftovers as pasta salad is eaten cold.
Yes! Pasta salad makes for an amazing meal prep. If you’re serving it to a crowd, I’d suggest leaving the arugula on the side and tossing it in just before serving. Get all of my pasta salad recipes here!
“My fiance loves this pasta salad!!! I make it for his lunch meal prep with a protein on the side and it holds up really well all week.”
-Jordan
Extra Helpful Tips
- I suggest cooking the pasta for 1-2 minutes less than suggested cook time so it’s perfectly al dente. You don’t want overcooked or mushy noodles for pasta salad.
- Any shape (fusilli, penne, rigatoni) and any type (whole wheat, chickpea, lentil, gluten-free) of pasta will work.
- Add any other veggies you have on hand or want to add! Other veggies I love in this are artichokes, cherry tomatoes, and cucumber.
- Get 10+ Healthy Pasta Salad Recipes HERE!
If you tried this Healthy Vegan Pasta Salad or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 5-star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Healthy Vegan Pasta Salad (20-minutes!)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 oz pasta I used chickpea pasta
- ¾ cup red onion thinly sliced
- 1-2 cups arugula
- ¼ cup kalamata olives halved
- Feel free to add any other veggies you like or have on hand cherry tomatoes and artichokes would be great too
Dressing
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoon vinegar like balsamic, apple cider, or red wine
- 1.5 teaspoon oregano dried
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil pasta according to package instructions.
- While pasta is boiling, whisk dressing ingredients [vinegar, mustard, olive oil, oregano, garlic, and salt] in a bowl until smooth. If you like a lot of dressing, feel free to double the dressing for more.
- Slice the olives and red onion and set aside. No need to chop the arugula unless you want to.
- Strain pasta and rinse with cold water.
- In a large bowl, toss pasta with arugula, olives, red onion, and dressing. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- I suggest cooking the pasta for 1-2 minutes less than suggested cook time so it’s perfectly al dente. You don’t want overcooked or mushy noodles for pasta salad.
- If you like a saucier pasta salad, double the dressing recipe for more dressing.
- Any shape (fusilli, penne, rigatoni) and any type (whole wheat, chickpea, lentil, gluten-free) of pasta will work.
- Add any other veggies you have on hand or want to add! Other veggies I love in this are artichokes, cherry tomatoes, and cucumber.
Jordan from the HealthyGirl Team says
My fiancé loves this pasta salad!!! I make it for his lunch meal prep with a protein on the side and it holds up really well all week.