Name: Easy Vegan Pasta Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Vegan
Ingredients: 12-oz. your favorite pasta; 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered; 1 small green or red bell pepper, diced; ¼ cup kalamata olives, sliced; ¼ cup cilantro, minced; ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil; 2 TBSP red wine vinegar; ¼ tsp garlic powder; ¼ tsp Himalayan sea salt; 2 cups arugula

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Easy Vegan Pasta Salad made with your favorite noodles and raw vegetables in a simple red wine vinaigrette. Perfect for summer meal prep!

This coming weekend is the second meeting of my 300 hr yoga teacher training, which also is technically my *first* weekend because I missed the first due to sickness.

I’ve found myself planning, replanning, and agonizing over the details of work, life, and yoga this week, wanting everything to be *just so* for a successful weekend.

I’m nitpicking at my clothing, my accessories, my gear; the small things that I bring that I feel are in my sphere of control.

The training is forcing me out of my routine, out of the state of Maryland, out of my comfort zone.

In a sense, it feels very much so out of my control.

But I try to keep reminding myself that there is no perfect yoga pants, morning routine, or notebook that will make this weekend EASY.

And it’s good to do HARD things frequently in life, right?

The one thing I know that I’ll need is a quick healthy lunch that doesn’t need reheating, assembly, or fussing.

And contrary to what I said about doing hard things, I like my food choices and recipes to be without a doubt easy!

This Easy Pasta Salad is made with your favorite noodles and raw vegetables in a simple red wine vinaigrette.

It’s perfect for summer meal prep, camping trips, weekends away, and anytime you’re craving something simple and fresh.

What You Need to Make Easy Vegan Pasta Salad

Here’s what you need to make this Easy Vegan Pasta Salad:

your favorite pasta
grape or cherry tomatoes
bell pepper
kalamata olives
cilantro
extra virgin olive oil
red wine vinegar
garlic powder
Himalayan sea salt
arugula

That’s it!

How to Make Easy Vegan Pasta Salad

Cook the pasta according to directions to your desired doneness.

I like to cook my noodles about ~2 minutes longer than al dente so they are tender enough to serve chilled in pasta salad.

Drain the pasta and run cold water over them to cool them down.

Add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic powder, and Himalayan sea salt to a large mixing bowl.

Whisk everything until it’s well combined.

When the pasta is cool, add the pasta, chopped veggies, and cilantro to the large mixing bowl with the dressing.

Toss until the pasta, veggies, and herbs are fully coated in the dressing.

Refrigerate the pasta salad overnight or for at least 2 hours to allow the flavors to meld.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Swaps and Substitutions

I used rice pasta for my noodles which is my personal preference, but any noodles you have on hand will work!

Whatever the base is (legume, rice, wheat, etc), I do recommend boiling them slightly longer to ensure they’re tender enough cold.

For veggies, I love the mix of salty olives, juicy cherry tomatoes, and slightly bitter green olives.

However, any veggies are welcome in this pasta salad!

I think broccoli, red bell pepper, carrots, or cucumber would be a delicious addition.

When making the dressing, you can substitute any vinegar for the red wine vinegar.

I *love* the flavor of red wine vinegar, but apple cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar, or plain lemon juice will work!

Notes on Meal Prep

This Easy Vegan Pasta Salad is beautiful for meal prep!

I like to make a big bowl and enjoy pasta salad for easy weekday lunches.

You’ll find that sometimes the dressing sinks to the bottom, so I recommend remixing just before serving.

The hardiness of this pasta salad as a meal prep dish depends on what vegetables you incorporate.

Avoiding cucumbers, tomatoes, and leafy greens will ensure that this pasta salad lasts longer.

You can also add vegetables like this just before serving, to extend its fridge life!

How to Serve Easy Vegan Pasta Salad

Enjoy this Easy Vegan Pasta Salad as a delicious lunch or a tasty side.

I think it would be perfect to make in advance for summer entertaining, cookouts, BBQs, and more.

It’s light and chilled for hot summer days, yet packed with veggies and good for you macronutrients.

If you’re looking for even more plant-based protein, try adding in a can of chickpeas or using legume based noodles.

Sometimes the pasta salad can start to get dry after a few days in the refrigerator.

When this happens, I like adding a spoonful of hummus to jazz things up.

Enjoy!

More Vegan Pasta Salad

I Want to Hear From You

If you make this Easy Vegan Pasta Salad recipe, let me know!

Be sure to leave me a comment, rating, and review so I can use your feedback to create more yums.

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XO Lauren