Easy Vegan Italian Pasta Salad (Gluten free, Oil free)

vegan italian pasta salad with cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, fresh, basil, red onion and zesty italian vinegar salad dressing served by salad tongs

4.75 from 4 votes

Easy Vegan Italian Pasta Salad (Gluten free, Oil free)

Al dente pasta spirals tossed with cherry tomatoes, olives, red onion & fresh herbs and drenched in a zesty Italian salad dressing.

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time15

Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: International, Italian

Keyword: comfort food, dairy free, easy, gluten free, healthy, high protein, meat free, nut free, oil free, plantbased, quick, soy free, summer, vegetarian

Servings: 3

Author: Gee

Ingredients

200 g uncooked pasta (use a legume/pulse pasta for higher protein) GF if necessary (spirals or penne work great)
200 g Cherry tomatoes
1/3 cup (180g) Olives
1/4 cup (10g) Chopped fresh basil or fresh parsley
1/3 cup diced red onion
Nutritional yeast or vegan parmesan optional, See notes for recipe*

Italian Salad Dressing

2 tbsp Lemon juice
2 tbsp Vinegar see notes
1-2 cloves Garlic minced
2 tsp Italian mixed herbs see notes for homemade mix
1/8 tsp salt optional

Instructions

Cook pasta until al dente then drain and rinse with cold water.
In a small bowl or jug, mix the salad dressing ingredients together.
Add the cooled cooked pasta and remaining salad ingredients into a large serving bowl. Pour over the salad dressing and gently toss until everything is well coated and combined.
Top with nutritional yeast/parmesan (if desired) and serve cold or room temperature.

Notes

Easy Vegan Parmesan recipe

DIY Italian Herb Mix

dried rosemary
thyme
dried basil
dried oregano

Vinegar

I use regular white vinegar in the salad dressing but you could also use red wine or white wine vinegar in this recipe.

Tomatoes: Any variety of tomatoes will work in this recipe, but mini or cherry tomatoes provide a delicious extra burst of flavour and texture compared to chopped up large tomatoes.