The best vegan pasta salad recipe
This is the best vegan pasta salad. The tangy dressing is super tasty and the roasted veggies and chickpeas make it really satisfying. The combo of hardy kale and oven crisped, roasted chickpeas is tasty and good for you. This pasta salad includes garden fresh ingredients like cherry tomatoes, baby bell peppers, cucumbers and cauliflower. It is filling and hearty without being heavy. This vegan salad is the perfect summer salad to bring to a barbeque, picnic or the beach. In fact I brought it to a cookout last summer at a friend from high school's house. The party was definitely not vegan but I watched as everyone scarfed down the entire bowl. It is that good! That reminds me, I still need to get that bowl back. This article includes affiliate links, I will earn commission if you use them to make purchases. Thanks for supporting my work.
It's all about the dressing
One of the elements that makes a salad really special is the dressing. I love making new dressing recipes to make people love eating veggies. This dressing is exceptional. It is sweet, tangy, thick and clingy which makes it perfect for a pasta salad. To make this one so thick and creamy, I use a small and powerful blender to puree the ingredients. Roasted bell peppers give it body and the combo of balsamic vinegar and pomegranate molasses make it tangy and sweet. Then I add calamata olives to really bring out the tanginess. Great olive oil makes a huge difference but if you prefer an oil free dressing just leave it out and add pasta water to the dressing to thin it out. You will love this intensely flavorful dressing, it makes all the flavors really pop. That's why this is the best vegan pasta salad.
Ingredients for The best Vegan Pasta Salad
This pasta salad includes garden fresh produce and pantry staples like oil, vinegar and spices. It has a couple of specialty items like pitted calamata olives and pomegranate molasses. If you cannot find pomegranate molasses do not sub regular molasses. Instead sub in another sweetener like agave or maple syrup. Regular molasses is too strong of a flavor and will overwhelm the dressing. Pomegranate molasses is just perfect flavor wise because it is sweet, tangy and thick. Although this is a summery salad, most ingredients are available year round at the market.
The Salad
- kale
- cherry tomatoes
- english cucumber
- fusilli
For Roasted Veggies
- baby bell peppers
- cauliflower
- chickpeas
- salt
- garlic powder
- smoked paprika
- olive oil
For Dressing
- baby bell peppers
- kalamata olives
- olive oil
- balsamic vinegar
- pomegranate molasses (or agave or maple syrup)
- salt
- black pepper
How to Make the Best Vegan Pasta Salad
This recipe is pretty easy to make. There are a couple of steps, but when timed properly it can be made in less than 30 minutes. All the chopping and peeling can be done while the veggies and chickpeas are roasting and then the dressing can be made while the pasta cooks.
- Put on water to boil and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- On a sheet pan place cauliflower, baby bell peppers and chickpeas. Season with salt, garlic powder and smoked paprika, spray with olive oil and toss until well mixed and cook for 20 minutes.
- Cook the pasta according to the box.
- Add the kale to a large bowl, drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil, 1 pinch salt and a few grinds of pepper and massage by mixing and squeezing gently until you feel the leaves tenderized.
- Make the dressing by adding 3 of the roasted baby bells, olives, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and pomegranate molasses, salt and pepper to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Add tomatoes, cucumbers, roasted cauliflower, the remaining bell peppers, crunchy chickpeas and the pasta to the bowl of massaged kale. Pour dressing over and mix.
Tips for making the best pasta salad
- First, always choose the freshest produce. Save the produce that is on it's way out for soups and stir-fries. You want the best flavor and textures in chilled salads not wilted or limp veggies.
- Choose a pasta with some texture! I love fusilli, ziti with lines, and farfalle best for pasta salads. These pasta shapes have nooks and crannies to soak up all that delicious dressing! Plus, somehow they just seem more satisfying than elbow mac. Save that for the mayo base Americana salad.
- The tools matter! It is incredible what a difference having the proper tools is for cooking. When you have a sharp knife, a quality peeler, a powerful blender and a great cutting board cooking is just way more fun. Cookware matters too. Great non-stick and non-toxic cookware makes gives you control over what is going into your food. I am including links below for all my favorites.
Caraway Home makes the best cookware. From the perfect pasta pot, to the greatest sheet pans and iconic storage systems, Caraway is a must for any home cook. I use mine every day and I used the dutch oven and sheet pan to make this recipe. Use my affiliate link to get my exclusive discount here.
I love my Wusthof chef's knife. This one is essential in my kitchen.
More delicious pasta salad recipes
The Best Vegan Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For Salad
- 4 cups kale stemmed and chopped
- 10 cherry tomatoes halved
- ½ english cucumber seeded, peeled, chopped in half
- 16 oz fusilli cooked and cooled
- 1 tsp olive oil
For Roasted Veggies
- 5 baby bell peppers seeded sliced
- ½ head cauliflower florets
- 1 can chickpeas drained
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp olive oil
For Dressing
- 3 roasted baby bell peppers de-stemmed
- 5 kalamata olives
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 ea black pepper fresh ground to taste
Instructions
- First, put on water to boil and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Once boiling, cook the pasta according to package then rinse with cold water, drain and set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, on a sheet pan place cauliflower, baby bell peppers and chickpeas. Season with salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika, olive oil and toss until well mixed and cook for 20 minutes.
- Then, add the kale to a large bowl, drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil, 1 pinch salt and a few grinds of pepper and massage by mixing and squeezing gently until you feel the leaves tenderized.
- Next, make the dressing by adding 3 of the roasted baby bells, olives, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and pomegranate molasses, salt and pepper to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Last, add tomatoes, cucumbers, roasted cauliflower, the remaining bell peppers, crunchy chickpeas and the pasta to the bowl of massaged kale. Pour dressing over and mix.
- Serve chilled and eat within 3-4 days for best quality. After pasta salad sits for a day or two, it can get a bit dry. Toss with a couple more drops of vinegar and oil if it needs to be refreshed.