Vegan Caesar Pasta Salad

This vegan caesar pasta salad has bow-tie pasta, crunchy cabbage and kale, roasted vegetables, oven crisped white beans and a creamy vegan cashew caesar dressing that is drinkably delicious. It's like a kale caesar and a pasta salad had an exquisitely edible baby! Sweet roasted peppers, purple cabbage, and roasted broccoli give this recipe such a great symphony of texture and flavor. Make this for your next barbecue or family party and watch everyone go nuts!

Why you will love this vegan caesar pasta salad

There is so much to love about this salad! First off, who doesn't love pasta salad? And I don't know anyone who does not love Caesar salad! This vegan caesar pasta salad is the best of both worlds. The creamy cashew caesar dressing is super easy to make in the blender and it tastes amazing on pasta. The bowties are a great vehicle to deliver the garlicky caesar dressing. Plus we bulk up the salad with roasted broccoli, crisped white beans and chopped kale. All these flavors and textures make this salad recipe next-level.

Ingredients for Vegan Caesar pasta salad

This pasta salad recipe is full of good for you ingredients! Let's rundown the list and talk about my favorite substitutions.

• Kale- I use kale for this recipe because it holds up well after dressing for 3-4 days. You can use Russian Red Kale, Curly Kale or Lacinato Kale aka Dino Kale. If you do not like kale, and think it is too "healthy" or hardy, substitute crunchy romaine lettuce. Just be aware that the salad will not stay as long after dressing. It will need to be consumed quickly.
• Broccoli- Oven roasted broccoli bathed in a garlicky and creamy caesar dressing is heaven. If you do not have broccoli, sub cauliflower, baby broccoli or rapini.
• Cannelini Beans- Meaty white cannelini beans, crisped in the oven bring more texture and plant-based protein to the dish. You can substitute crispy chickpeas, baked tofu cubes or even vegan bacon or crispy tempeh.
• Baby Bell Peppers- It's no secret that I love sweet baby bell peppers more than the regular variety of bell pepper. They have a longer shelf life, they are more budget friendly and they have less seeds. They roast so quickly and easily in the oven with the other veggies. If baby bell peppers are not available choose a regular sized bell pepper that is brightly colored. Another time saver is to use jarred red bell peppers and simply skip the roasting and chop them up!
• Farfalle Pasta- Bow ties are the ultimate for pasta salad in my book. Their esthetic is adorable plus they have so much surface area to soak up the delicious sauce! If the farfalle pasta shape is not your fave use a pasta with ridges or spirals like rigatoni, fusilli or penne pasta.

What's in vegan caesar dressing?

Vegan caesar dressing can be deceptively realistic! This blender dressing is made quickly and easily in a high speed blender. You will be amazed at how creamy and delicious it is without anchovies and eggs. This one is even oil-free! Here is what you need:

• Cashews-Raw, unsalted cashews make the base of this super creamy yet dairy-free dressing. Blended with water and other ingredients, cashew nuts produce the most realistic tasting vegan caesar dressing. If you are allergic to nuts, you can substitute sunflower seeds or sesame tahini or even silken tofu for the cashew.
• Dijon mustard- Tangy dijon is the king of mustards! It is lemony, has a little spicy bite and has tons of flavor. Yellow mustard and whole grain mustards are not equal in flavor to dijon mustard. Please don't sub unless you have to!
• White Miso- Mild white miso lends an umami flavor to the caesar dressing just like parmesan. You can sub any type of miso but it will change the color of the dressing slightly. If you are allergic to soy, you can substitute 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast.
• Hemp Hearts- Hemp seeds aka hemp hearts are a nice way to bump up the protein in this dressing. If they are unavailable, just omit them and add a couple more cashews.
• Garlic- Garlic is an essential ingredient in all caesar dressings. It helps make this one much more flavorful! If you don't like a garlicky flavor you can substitute ½ tsp of garlic powder instead for a mellower flavor.
• Lemon juice- Lemon adds a nice, fresh and citrusy bite that balances out the other flavors.
• Water- Water helps to make it creamy! You can add more or less depending on how thick you like your dressing!

How to make vegan caesar pasta salad

This is a really easy recipe. With just a few steps you can have this glorious caesar pasta salad ready to devour!

• Roast the vegetables- Roast the broccoli, peppers and white beans on a sheet pan in the oven for about 20 minutes. Cooking them on a sheet pan together is a simple, no-fuss method that anyone can do!
• Cook the pasta- While the veggies roast, cook the pasta according to the box, then rinse with cold water and set aside to drain.
• Make the Dressing- Making the dressing is easy in a high speed blender! Just add cashews, water, garlic, miso, mustard, hemp seeds, lemon juice, salt and pepper and blend until smooth!
• Toss the salad! To a large wooden salad bowl add the pasta, the roasted broccoli, peppers, crisped white beans, cabbage and kale. Pour the dressing over and toss until well combined. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to your preference.

Tips for making the best pasta salads

These are my best tips for making pasta salads with intensely delicious flavors. These come in clutch when making this Vegan Caesar pasta salad recipe.

• Pasta cooking tip- It can sometimes be beneficial to add an extra minute of cooking for pasta salads. That is because chilled pasta salads tend to dry out a little after the first day. So, al dente cooked pasta is not ideal because it can become unpleasantly tough overnight. But be careful. There is a fine line here between perfectly cooked for pasta salad and overcooked which causes the pasta to be falling apart. Just add a minute of cook time past what you would normally consider done.
• Drain the pasta really well! My mentor Janice always said "Water is the enemy of flavor". Make sure that the pasta drains really well before adding it to the pasta. You do not want any extra water to dilute the flavor of the dressing!
• Same goes for the kale! Make sure the kale is really drained well, spun dry or patted with a paper towel before adding to the pasta salad.
• Taste the dressing! Always taste the dressings as you make them and adjust the seasonings to your liking. I am not a salty cook! When I write my recipes I am very conservative with the salt. You do you!

More Pasta Salad recipes you will love

• The Best Vegan Pasta Salad
• Lemon and Herbs Pasta Salad
• Kale Pesto Pasta Salad