Quick and easy vegan pasta salad recipe! This Italian pasta salad is a crowd favorite at potlucks and bbqs. A great make ahead dish!
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We've got a quick and easy crowd favorite side dish for you today: vegan pasta salad!
A veggie loaded pasta salad tossed in an easy Italian inspired dressing that all comes together in a flash.
It's perfect for bringing to potlucks, bbqs, or serving as a side dish at your next meal!
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Ingredients and equipment
Ingredients:
- Pasta: we like to use tri-color rotini pasta! The spirals hold on to the dressing so well. It's a classic for a reason.
- Red wine vinegar and olive oil: this is the base for the Italian dressing. Red wine vinegar is made from red wine, so it's fruitier and more tangy than balsamic.
- Italian seasoning: you can find an Italian seasoning blend in the spice aisle at your grocery store. Or you can easily make your own!
- Lemon juice and a bit of sugar: to add brightness and a bit of sweetness to the dressing.
- Pasta salad veggies: we like tomatoes, bell peppers, black olives, sun dried tomatoes, onion, and fresh parsley.
Equipment:
- Large pot: for boiling the noodles. We love our Green Pan soup pot!
- Colander: for straining the noodles.
- Measuring spoons and cups.
- Small whisk: for whisking the dressing. You can use a jar with tight fitting lid and shake the dressing.
- Large bowl: for tossing the pasta salad and serving.
- Sharp knife: for chopping the veggies and herbs.
- Cutting board: for chopping the veggies and herbs.
Have you tried our Italian tortellini pasta salad recipe?
The dressing
The dressing is very simple, but loaded with flavor! We get our inspiration from Italian dressing, but keep it simple by using store bought Italian seasoning and keep it vegan by omitting any parmesan cheese.
Feel free to use your favorite Italian dressing as a swap if you aren't up for making your own. We like Annie's Italian dressing because it's vegetarian, although, we prefer our homemade Italian dressing of course.
How to make it step by step
Full instructions are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this article.
Start by cooking the pasta according to package directions. After straining, rinse the pasta well with cold water.
Whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour that over the pasta in a large bowl. Toss to combine.
Add all of your chopped veggies/herbs to the pasta. (We like to chop the veggies and herbs while the pasta is cooking.)
Toss everything together. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper level to your liking.
Serve as is or refrigerate to let the flavors marinate until ready to serve.
Recipe substitutions and tips
- Feel free to use any shape pasta you'd like! We love the way the rotini holds a lot of dressing. You could also try chickpea, lentil, or whole wheat pasta.
- We love the flavor of the Italian dressing in this vegan pasta salad, but if you have a favorite store bought vegan Italian dressing that would be a great substitute.
- To add some protein, try adding chickpeas or white beans!
- Don't skip rinsing the pasta in cold water after straining. This keeps it from sticking together.
Serving suggestions
- As a side dish at a potluck or bbq: this is a great make-ahead potluck dish! It makes a large amount and actually tastes better after marinating in the fridge for a bit.
- Warm or cold: we prefer a cold pasta salad, but this one is great warm too!
Here are some great recipes to try alongside this vegan pasta salad:
- Grilled portobello mushroom burgers
- Vegetarian lentil and ricotta sandwiches
- Caprese portobello mushroom pizzas
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Storing
Store the pasta in a sealed container (or plastic wrap covered bowl) in the refrigerator.
The pasta salad is best served a few hours after making, but will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Stir the pasta salad well before serving and if it seems dry, toss it in a Tablespoon or two of olive oil to moisten the noodles again.
FAQs
We don't recommend it. The oil and pasta will not thaw well after freezing.
Swap the pasta for your favorite gluten free pasta!
Yes! Be sure to read the label because Italian dressing typically isn't vegan.
Of course! If you click on the number of servings in the recipe, you can adjust it to fit the servings you want to make.
This veggie pasta salad will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
We think you'll love our caprese pesto pasta salad with white beans!
Did you make this recipe? Leave us a review and star rating in the comments below! We read every single review and appreciate your feedback.
Recipe
Italian vegan pasta salad
Ingredients
- 12 oz dry rotini pasta (spiral) We used tri-color rotini
- 6 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 5 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 ½ cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
- ¾ cup sliced black olives
- ¼ cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
- ¼ cup minced red onion
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Strain through a colander and rinse well with cold water. Place in a large bowl.
- While the pasta is cooking, make your dressing and chop your salad ingredients.
- To make the dressing: combine the red wine vinegar, olive oil, Italian seasoning, lemon juice, and sugar. Whisk together until emulsified or shake in a jar with tight fitting lid. Pour over the pasta in your bowl and stir to combine.
- Add the cherry tomatoes, red peppers, olives, sun dried tomatoes, onion, parsley, salt, and pepper. Toss to fully combine and taste. Add more salt and pepper as desired.
- Serve as is or refrigerate for one hour to let the flavors marinate.
Notes
- Feel free to use any shape pasta you'd like! We love the way the rotini holds a lot of dressing. You could also try chickpea, lentil, or whole wheat pasta.
- We love the flavor of the Italian dressing in this vegan pasta salad, but if you have a favorite store bought vegan Italian dressing that would be a great substitute.
- To add some protein, try adding chickpeas or white beans!
- Don't skip rinsing the pasta in cold water after straining. This keeps it from sticking together.
Nutrition
If you make this recipe, please let us know on social media or in the comments below! Leave a star rating in your comment or tag us on Instagram with #Rhubarbarians
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Katherine
Appreciate the dressing ratios! Made this for a large group. Great recipe!
Marcie
This is absolutely delicious. I did decrease the amount of oil and also added fresh thyme from my garden to the recipe. It was fantastic. Can't wait to make it again!