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You are here: Home / Salad / Vegetable Pasta Salad (Grain-Free!)

Vegetable Pasta Salad (Grain-Free!)

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

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Lightened up pasta salad packed with fresh chopped vegetables, grain-free chickpea pasta, and balsamic dressing. Perfect for summer lunches!

Vegetable Pasta Salads served in a bowls on plates with a fork and half and lemon and dressing glass with blue and white striped towel

Have you been to the pool yet?

I went for my first time this season on Memorial Day with a girlfriend.

It was late on the holiday and I really just wanted to lay there motionless in the sun until dark, but I recognized with a sigh that the workweek was quickly approaching.

So we shifted out convo to preparation for week, which sifted to food and meal prep and easy things to throw together with the limited time we had.

I confessed that lunches had me particularly perplexed lately.

What do you eat when you don’t want salads for lunch, but also aren’t in the mood for cooking?

(I swear I’m a food blogger, haha.)

“What about a pasta salad?” she asked.

Yes, what about that.

This Vegetable Pasta Salad (Grain-Free!) is packed with protein and raw vegetables for an easy lightened up vegan pasta salad!

chickpea pasta noodles scattered

The Easiest Vegan Pasta Salad

You know how sometimes you just keep hearing something over and over and you know the universe is begging you to take note?

That’s how it was with my current yoga studio.

On several occasions I asked an inspiring yoga instructor after class where else they taught and they all gave the same studio.

So I finally went and fell in love and now have a home there.

Well, that’s how it was with this pasta salad too; I just kept hearing it.

From friends, at the store, on the ‘gram. Pasta salad, pasta salad, pasta salad.

OK universe: here is my version.

It’s vegan, grain and gluten-free, protein-packed, and light in oil.

Vegetable Pasta Salad ingredients in a glass bowl with a blue and white striped towel

How to Make Healthy Vegetable Pasta Salad

This probably won’t surprise you but I’ve never been a pasta salad “person”.

Growing up, I always skipped over them a the family reunions and cookouts and birthday parties.

I never quite liked the rich creamy dressings and heavy oils that coated the plentiful noodles and too few veggies.

Plus you can eat a whole plate of pasta salad and never really get full, you know?

Well, not in this post.

Vegetable Pasta Salad mixed together in glass bowl with a spoon

What You Need to Make Vegetable Pasta Salad

This pasta salad has a hearty chickpea pasta base mixed with plentiful raw veggies (broccoli, bell pepper, and carrots) and tasty jarred premium (sliced black pepper and artichoke hearts).

It’s zippy and fresh with a crunch that makes you crave the next bite.

All of it can be thrown together without turning on the oven or slaving over the stovetop!

Then we dress it with a light and tangy balsamic vinegar dressing made with extra virgin avocado oil, balsamic vinegar, fresh squeezed lime, fresh squeezed lemon, and Himalayan sea salt.

Whisk everything together and pour it over the cooked pasta and veggies and you’re good to go.

You know you did it right if there are as many rainbow veggies in the light dressing as there are pasta spirals.

You’re welcome.

Vegetable Pasta Salads served in a bowls on plates with a fork and half and lemon and dressing glass with blue and white striped towel

How to Serve Vegetable Pasta Salad (Grain-Free!)

Enjoy this Vegetable Pasta Salad (Grain-Free!) whenever you need to mix up your warm weather meals!

This unique blend is special because it uses atypical veggies with a lot of crunch.

I like it best after it’s been chilling in the fridge for a few hours, but it’s also great straight out of the mixing bowl.

The balsamic vinegar will break down the pasta and veggies over time, so this salad is best enjoyed within 2-3 days.

Try enjoying a big bowl on its own for lunch or as a protein-packed side to your main meal.

It’s also perfect for warmer weather picnics, cookouts, entertaining, and all of the warm weather dining.

If you’re storing leftovers in the fridge for several days, try rotating the storage container daily to ensure the pasta on top doesn’t dry out.

Vegetable Pasta Salad served in a bowl on plate with a fork and fresh dill

More Pasta Salad

  • 1-Bowl Hummus Pasta Salad

  • Pesto Pasta Salad

I Want to Hear From You

If you make this Vegetable Pasta Salad (Grain-Free!) recipe, let me know!

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

Give me a shout on Instagram and use #floraandvino to show me your creations.

Check out my Pinterest page to pin more recipes like this one to make later.

Love this post and want more? Go to my homepage and subscribe to get updates delivered right to your inbox!

XO Lauren

Vegetable Pasta Salad served in a bowl on plate with a fork and half and lemon and blue and white striped towel

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Vegetable Pasta Salad (Grain-Free!)


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5 from 1 review

  • Author: Flora & Vino
  • Total Time: 30 mins
  • Yield: 3 servings
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

Lightened up pasta salad packed with fresh chopped vegetables, grain-free chickpea pasta, and balsamic dressing. Perfect for summer lunches!


Ingredients

  • 2 cups grain-free chickpea pasta
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 cup broccoli, chopped
  • 1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1⁄4 cup black olives, sliced
  • 1⁄4 cup artichoke hearts, chopped
  • 2 TBSP cold-pressed avocado oil
  • 1 TBSP balsamic vinegar
  • 1⁄2 lemon, squeezed
  • 1⁄2 lime, squeezed
  • pinch of Himalayan sea salt

Instructions

  1. Boil the pasta until al dente, (cooked according to package directions.) Drain and allow it to cool.
  2. Mix the balsamic vinegar, avocado oil, Himalayan salt, and lemon and lime juice together in a small bowl.
  3. Add the chopped vegetables and pasta to a large mixing bowl and pour on dressing mixture.
  4. Stir everything thoroughly until pasta and vegetables are covered.
  5. Serve the pasta salad immediately with optional fresh herbs. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days and toss to recombine before serving.

Notes

Adapted from Tone It Up

  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 10 mins
  • Category: Pasta Salad, Entree, Side
  • Method: Stovetop, Hand-mix
  • Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @flora_and_vino on Instagram and hashtag it #floraandvino

Filed Under: All Food Recipes, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Salad, The Main Meal

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Red Bean & Pomegranate Salad
Kale Caesar Salad with Avocado Dressing
Raw Krazy Kale Salad with Miso Tahini Dressing

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Cheralynn

    June 13, 2019 at 12:11 pm

    Love this pasta salad! I doubled the recipe and then wish I had made more!

    Reply
    • Flora & Vino

      June 13, 2019 at 4:41 pm

      Hi Cheralynn! Thanks so much for your comment– I’m so glad you enjoyed it! It’s so easy for summer, yeah? XOXO Lauren

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Lauren!
You can find me in the kitchen making healthy and creative plant-based dishes with whole foods, on my yoga mat stretching it out, or curled up with a good book and a glass of red. Searching for balanced living in an unbalanced world. I live it, eat it, drink it, write it, photograph it, and share it all here.

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