Easy Vegan Pasta Salad (20 Minutes)
Enjoy a perfect lunchtime meal with this Easy Vegan Pasta Salad. Ready in just 20 minutes, it's delicious to eat and ideal for making ahead as a convenient ready-to-go option.
Servings: 6
Calories: 453kcal
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1 pound dried pasta like fusilli, penne, rotini or bow tie
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup English cucumber sliced and quartered
- 1 cup bell pepper, any color chopped
- 1 block firm tofu about 14 ounces or 400 g, drained and cubed
- ½ cup red onion chopped
- ½ cup black olives pitted and sliced
- ¼ cup fresh basil finely chopped
For the dressing:
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente according to package directions. Drain well and rinse under cold water. Then transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- While the pasta is cooking, whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl until well emulsified.
- Combine all the ingredients, including vegetables and dressing, in the large mixing bowl with the cooked pasta. Adjust seasoning to taste.
- Serve the pasta salad immediately or, for best results, cover and refrigerate it for a minimum of 30 minutes and up to 5 days.
Notes
- Salt the pasta water. Add salt to the boiling water before cooking the pasta for enhanced flavor.
- Cook pasta al dente. Cook the pasta until it's firm to the bite to avoid it becoming mushy and losing texture in the salad.
- Rinse pasta with cold water. After cooking, rinse the pasta to cool it down and prevent overcooking and sticking.
- Let the flavors marry. After dressing the salad, let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Adjust seasoning before serving. Taste the salad and adjust seasoning as needed with salt, lemon juice, or herbs for enhanced flavors.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 453kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 382mg | Potassium: 333mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 332IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 122mg | Iron: 2mg
