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If you follow a vegan diet, you still can bring something delicious to a neighborhood cookout when you have our recipe for Whole Wheat Vegan Pasta Salad.
People who eat specialty diets might sometimes get a sinking feeling when they are invited to community meals. Of course, everyone wants to be sociable, and nobody wants to be excluded because they eat differently. So most people just quietly accept the invitation and then try to figure out what they can bring that will help them enjoy the evening.
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Whole Wheat Vegan Pasta Salad
This recipe is quick and easy to toss together and everyone, vegan and omnivore alike will enjoy eating it. With cheery red tomatoes, diced green bell peppers, and studded with black olives, this pasta salad looks as good as it tastes. This recipe for pasta salad includes two different kinds of pasta, some veggies, and a tasty Italian dressing.
Equipment
- 1 Large Sauce Pan
- 1 Sharp knife
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Colander
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl
- 1 Mason Jar
- 1 Refrigerator
Ingredients
Ingredients for Pasta Mixture:
- ½ box whole wheat penne pasta
- ½ box rotini tri color pasta
- ½ pc green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup diced, seeded tomatoes
- 5 strips roasted red peppers, diced
- ½ cup canned black olives drained, rinsed, sliced
Ingredients for Italian Dressing:
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp water
- ½ tsp minced garlic
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried basil
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to a boil.
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
- Drain the pasta and rinse it under cool running water. Shake the colander several times to get rid of as much excess water as possible.
- Put the pasta into a large bowl.
- Create the Italian dressing by adding the oil, vinegar, water, basil, oregano, parsley, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to a 2 cup mason jar.
- Cap the jar with a tightly fitting lid and shake it to combine all the ingredients. Set this aside.
- Add the peppers, tomatoes, and olives to the pasta and stir them until they are thoroughly incorporated.
- Pour the homemade dressing from the jar over the pasta salad. Toss the pasta to coat it with the dressing. Taste as you go and stop when you feel the pasta is properly seasoned.
- You may not use all the Italian dressing. Taste the pasta and add additional salt if you feel it needs it.
- Cover the bowl of pasta salad with an airtight lid and refrigerate it for three or four hours to fully chill it.
- Serve.
Notes
On the other hand, if you are the host or hostess of an event, and you know that a few people will be attending who follow special diets, it can be concerning. Every host wants all the attendees to feel welcomed, and part of that is having food that they can eat and enjoy. Of course, you don’t want anyone to feel embarrassed and disappointed that they could not enjoy eating the food that you provided at your event.
That is why everyone needs a recipe like this one for Whole Wheat Vegan Pasta Salad. This one is a crowd favorite with everyone, regardless of how they eat. When you have vegans and vegetarians in your circle of friends, you can offer more than just a fruit and veggie tray. Recipes like this one are handy, easy to prepare, and tasty as well.
This dressing is so good that you might want to use it for other things. If you have some leftovers after making this pasta salad, you can store it in the refrigerator. Then, you can use it for salad dressing or as a marinade or to baste grilled foods.
You can also add other veggies to this pasta salad recipe if you like. Whatever you have on hand will be fine. Chopped broccoli, diced carrots, or even chopped onion will add to the complexity of flavor that this pasta salad brings to the table. Add as many varieties as you like. Including plenty of vegetables only increases the nutritional profile of this recipe. Additionally, the estimated amounts here are just that--estimates. You can increase or decrease any of them to suit your own taste or whatever you have available from the farmer’s market or your own garden.
While carbs have currently gotten a bad reputation these days, this recipe is actually pretty nutritious, especially if you add lots of vegetables. The whole wheat pasta in this recipe is full of fiber and vitamins. The tri-color rotini is made partly from vegetables, and the veggies provide plenty of taste, texture, and nutrition. If you are on a journey to improve your health, there is no need to avoid this fabulous pasta salad. Don't be intimidated by cooking for your friends with specialty diets. And if you eat an unusual diet, there is no need to worry that your food will not be accepted by the group when you make this tasty recipe for Whole Wheat Vegan Pasta Salad.
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