The BEST Vegan Pasta Salad (GF)

If you had a chance to check out my previous recipe post for the Nutty Chocolate Date Bites, you’ll already know that attending a women’s circle a couple of weeks ago meant that I had to come up with a totally new kind of dessert for this potluck due to not having access to any of my regular ingredients.

This pasta salad was also a random creation based off of that- as I brought both a dessert and a main meal item to the event. Generally I am used to being the only person who requires gluten-free and plant-based offerings so I usually come prepared with items that I can enjoy if there ends up being nothing else for me to eat.

However, surprisingly enough, almost ALL the items ended up being something I could eat (which was a rare and beautiful treat!).

Anyways, if there is one thing I am grateful to be able to find here even in our small town of San Juan del Sur, it’s gluten-free pasta. It’s not something I pictured having access to here, and for that reason it makes it even more enjoyable to have it as an option.

Lately I’ve been craving things that I haven’t had in a really, really long time- and pasta salad is one of those things. Making one for the potluck just felt like a great idea, and boy did it ever turn out!

I’m sure that you’ll enjoy it just as much as I (and all the women present) did.

This recipe is:

Vegan
Gluten-free
High protein
Quick to make
Healthy
& Delicious

Best part of it is, that it is filling enough to be a whole meal on it’s own, but also simple enough to be offered as a side for a main meal structure (like a potluck or BBQ)!

Hope you enjoy.

The Best Vegan Pasta Salad

PREP TIME
15 Minutes

COOKING TIME
20 Minutes

YIELDS
6-8 Servings (as a side)

INGREDIENTS

2 boxes gluten-free penne pasta (I prefer chickpea pasta)
1 batch Vegan Cheddar Cheese
2 cups chopped cucumber (1 large cucumber)
2 cups chopped red or orange bell pepper (1 large pepper)
2 cups chopped green bell pepper (1 large pepper)
1 cup chopped red onion (1 medium red onion)
2 cups halved grape tomatoes (or diced regular tomatoes)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup avocado oil

DIRECTIONS

STEP 1: Bring a large pot of water to boil on the stove, cook gluten-free pasta according to instructions. Drain, rinse with cold water, and allow to cool slightly.

STEP 2: Wash and chop cucumbers, peppers, onion and tomatoes into small dices (or bite sized pieces). Place in large bowl.

STEP 3: Whisk batch of vegan cheddar cheese with red wine vinegar & avocado oil, until a smooth liquid forms. Taste test dressing at this time- if you’d like it more tangy, add more red wine vinegar.

STEP 4: Add cooled pasta to the bowl with chopped vegetables. Lightly toss to combine with dressing until evenly coated. Refrigerate until ready to eat, serve cold.

NOTES

Try to not overcook pasta so that it doesn’t become too soft or mushy.
If gluten-free is not required, feel free to use another pasta variation or even another style of noodle.
Pasta keeps well in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Love,

Brianne xx

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @therealholisticrn on Instagram and hashtag it #therealholisticrn