This simple and delicious recipe for The Best Oil-Free Vegan Italian Pasta Salad is made with protein pasta for a satisfying meal. Whip this up for a quick lunch. Or, pack it for a picnic or your next summer party. Everyone will love it!
Similar Recipes: If you like this recipe, you’ll also love Chickpea Rice Pasta Salad with Dill, Cucumbers, and Tomatoes, Oil-Free Balsamic Roasted Vegetable Gluten-Free Pasta Salad, Vegan Italian Stuffed Artichokes, Italian Three Bean Salad, Farro Italian Vegetable Soup, and Summer Squash Farmer’s Market Legume Rice Risotto.
An Oil-Free Plant-Based Pasta Salad
Italian pasta salad was a staple recipe in my house when I was growing up. My mom had a great recipe that she would bring to summer parties, family picnics, and use for weeknight meals.
I’m pretty sure her recipe came from a bottle of Balsamic Dressing: cooked white pasta, a cup of the store-bought “fat free” Italian balsamic, a can of sliced olives, fresh tomatoes, and steamed baby carrots with broccoli. Often, a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese was added. Not the fancy Parm, though…that grated stuff that came out of a green container and could live on the shelf for months.
Oil-Free Vegan Italian Pasta Salad Dressing Redo: Vinegar, Spices, Nutritional Yeast
I knew this Italian pasta salad recipe needed an update, and I was inspired by all of the Bragg’s 24 Herbs and Spice Blend. Since going oil-free, I’ve learned that using lots of herbs and spices helps add flavor without extra fat or salt. Combined with red wine vinegar, nutritional yeast, and some diced onion, this would be a great base for an oil-free pasta salad.
Protein Pasta: Banza Chickpea
Another inspiration for this veganized recipe was the chickpea pasta from Eat Banza. These pastas are high in plant-based protein, naturally gluten-free, and can turn roasted vegetables from a simple side dish into a satisfying entrée.
Their elbow-shaped macaroni pasta was the perfect shape for this pasta salad. With lots of nooks and crannies, there are plenty of spots to grab bits of olives and roasted vegetables. Plus, the size is bite-sized, about the same size of the vegetables.
If you can’t find Banza brand pasta, there are lots of other healthy whole grain, vegan pastas that are packed with protein. Brammi uses lupini beans for extra protein. Goodles are great for kids. Even a simple store brand of whole wheat pasta would work great for this recipe.
Chef Katie’s Cooking Tip: Be sure to 8 oz of pasta for a single batch of this recipe. Boxed pasta comes in all sizes, from 8 ounces to 16 ounces, so double-check the package and do your best to measure only what you need.
How Much Protein Do I Need on a Vegan Diet?
Protein can be a big concern for anyone trying to eat a healthy, plant-based diet. Average-active women need about 46g per day while men need about 56g. Athletic women and men are recommended to get a bit more (1g-1.8g per kg of body weight; about 63g for a 140lb woman or 97g for a 200lb man). Regardless of your protein goal, it’s nice to know that products like these new Banza pastas
In fact, they open the door to cooking creativity. Rather than just adding beans or lentils to recipes for more protein, now vegans can make risotto, pasta, or creamy mac and cheese. The protein nutrition worry can fade and the excitement over creating delicious flavors can build!
Oil-Free Protein Pasta Salad: A Side Dish That’s Also a Meal
The best part about this The Best Oil-Free Vegan Italian Pasta Salad with Protein Pasta is how satisfying it is! With both vegetables and hearty pasta, this recipe works double-duty. You can enjoy it as a side dish for your favorite veggie burgers or hearty soup. Or, enjoy it alone for a filling plant-based lunch.
Bring this to a party where you might not be sure of the plant-based offerings. This dish will be hearty enough to be your go-to option. Or, make a big batch on the weekend during meal prep. It’s an easy recipe to double-batch, making it ideal to enjoy for lunches, snacks, or dinner throughout the week. You can also stretch it by adding extra veggies, a can of cannellini beans, or serving it over a bed of baby spinach.
Chef Katie’s Plant-Based Cooking Tips:
Banza Legume and Chickpea Pasta: Banza is a food brand that creates high-protein pasta and rice made from chickpeas, lentils, and legumes. You can find their products at health food stores and online. In addition to this recipe, I love using their
No Chickpea Pasta? You can substitute with any small-shaped whole grain pasta. You can use whole wheat macaroni or shells, brown rice noodles, or another chickpea shape. Just make sure the noodles are small enough to fit on a spoon. You don’t want to need a fork to eat soup!
Substituting and Adding Ingredients: This recipe offers a lot of room to play with different vegetables and canned items. You can substitute the olives and artichoke hearts with capers, hearts of palms, and pickled cherry peppers. Use any variety of tomatoes that are ripe and fresh. You can also add radishes, chopped spinach, or bell peppers.
Play with Herbs: This recipe calls for a good handful of fresh herbs. Parsley, dill, and basil are some of my favorites, but you can also use fresh thyme, chives, and sorrel. Avoid cilantro and rosemary — they are a bit too pungent for the flavors in this recipe.
Adding Spice: For a kicked-up version of this recipe, add some jarred pepperoncini peppers (roughly chopped), a dash of red chili flake, or minced fresh shishito peppers.
Oil-Free Mission: I’m on a mission to get rid of empty calories, like those found in refined oils. This recipe is 100% oil-free. You can use a little bit of water to saute the vegetables if they start to burn.
The Best Oil-Free Vegan Italian Pasta Salad (with Protein Pasta)
This simple and delicious recipe for The Best Oil-Free Vegan Italian Pasta Salad is made with protein pasta for a satisfying meal. Whip this up for a quick lunch. Or, pack it for a picnic or your next summer party. Everyone will love it!
- Easy
- Ready in: 20 minutes
- Servings: 4
- Yield: about 7-8 cups
Pin It:
The Best Oil-Free Vegan Italian Pasta Salad (with Protein Pasta)
Ingredients
- 1 box 8 ounces Banza chickpea pasta, elbow macaroni shape (or similiar)
- 2 tablespoons minced red onion
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning such as Bragg’s
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 pint grape tomatoes halved
- 1 seedless cucumber diced into bite-sized pieces
- 1 can artichoke hearts drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup kalamata olives drained and chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh herbs like parsley, dill, and chives
Instructions
- To boil the pasta: Bring a medium pot of water to boil over high heat. Once at a rolling boil, add the chickpea pasta. Cook according to package instructions, about 6-8 minutes. Cook just shy of done or until “al dente”. You want the pasta to still have a little bit to soak up the flavors of the salad.
- While the pasta water comes to a boil, prepare your other ingredients.
- In a large bowl, combine the red onion, red wine vinegar, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast. Let sit for a few minutes (while the pasta is cooking) to help the onions soften.
- Prepare the remaining ingredients, from the tomatoes to the fresh herbs. Add to the bowl with red wine vinegar mixture.
- When the pasta is done cooking, immediately drain and rinse under cold water. Rinse for about a minute, stopping the cooking process, until the pasta is cool to the touch. Drain off any excess water.
- Combine the cooked pasta with the vegetable and vinegar mixture. Toss well. Taste to adjust seasoning. Enjoy!
- Keep refrigerated for up to 5 days.
Nutrition Facts
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings 4.0 | |
| Amount Per Serving | |
| calories 266 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 5 g | 7 % |
| Saturated Fat 0 g | 2 % |
| Monounsaturated Fat 0 g | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g | |
| Trans Fat 0 g | |
| Cholesterol 0 mg | 0 % |
| Sodium 238 mg | 10 % |
| Potassium 364 mg | 10 % |
| Total Carbohydrate 47 g | 16 % |
| Dietary Fiber 9 g | 34 % |
| Sugars 5 g | |
| Protein 15 g | 29 % |
| Vitamin A | 14 % |
| Vitamin C | 35 % |
| Calcium | 10 % |
| Iron | 32 % |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. | |
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