This balsamic pasta salad is full of fresh summer flavors and makes the perfect side dish for a picnic or summer cookout. Made with easy-to-find, simple ingredients. Juicy cherry tomatoes, red onions, dairy free feta cheese and aromatic basil and olives come together perfectly in an easy to make homemade balsamic vinaigrette.
If you're looking for more easy summer side dish recipes, check out this Vegan Taco Pasta Salad, Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad or this Quinoa Black Bean Salad next.
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- This healthy pasta salad is full of fresh ingredients and makes a delicious side dish.
- Every summer picnic or BBQ cookout needs a pasta salad, and this is a creative spin on the traditional pasta salad.
- Great recipe to meal prep ahead of time. The dressing keeps the pasta moist and flavorful for days.
🥗 Ingredients and substitutions
Pasta - I love using rotini pasta or bowtie pasta. Any short pasta will work for this recipe.
Red bell peppers - sweet red peppers add a nice crunch. You can also use roasted red peppers.
Fresh cherry tomatoes - you can also use sun-dried tomatoes or grape tomatoes. The sweet cherry tomatoes add a nice pop of sweetness that balances the acidity in the balsamic dressing.
Fresh basil - fresh herbs add a nice flavor to this dish.
Red onion - I love the pop of color and flavor that red onion provides. Use whatever onion you have on hand if you don't have red onion.
Great northern beans - you can also use chickpeas. This adds a nice boost of plant protein to this easy pasta salad.
Kalamata olives -you can also use black olives
Homemade balsamic vinaigrette - this is made with extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Italian seasonings, minced clove of garlic, a little sugar or maple syrup to balance it all out and salt and black pepper.
Dairy free feta cheese - you can also use vegan mozzarella cheese or toasted pine nuts. Violife is a good brand of vegan cheese.
👩🍳 Expert tips
Let this sit in the fridge for at least two hours before serving, for the best flavor. This tastes even better the next day as leftovers, when it's had time to marinate in the fridge.
Chop up all your vegetables the same size to so that you can get a variety of different flavors in one bite.
🔪 Directions
Make sure to scroll to the recipe card for full step-by-step instructions.
Step one: Cook the pasta al dente in a large pot of salted water according to the package directions.
Step two: Strain and then rinse with cold water to bring the cooked pasta to room temperature.
Step three: In a large bowl, add all the ingredients for the homemade dressing and stir well.
Step four: Add in the cooked pasta and the fresh veggies to the same bowl and top with vegan feta cheese, vegan parmesan cheese or toasted pine nuts. Mix everything well
🥦 Additional add ins
Extra veggies - add in whatever fresh vegetables you have on hand that you think would go well. Artichoke hearts, broccoli, cauliflower and cucumber would all go well.
Arugula - great way to add in some spice and extra greens. Add about one to two cups.
Vegan chicken - Gardein and Beyond Meat has some great plant based chicken. Grill it up, then dice it and add it on top of this simple pasta salad.
🥙 Serving suggestions
This makes the perfect side dish for a summer cookout or picnic. Serve this with these Tender Seitan Ribs, Homemade Vegan Steak or this Easy Vegan Chicken. This also goes great with other classic summer side dishes like this Dairy Free Potato Salad or this Southern Cucumber Tomato Salad.
❓ Recipe FAQs
Yes, this is easy to make gluten free. Just use gluten free pasta. The rest of the ingredients are gluten free.
This pasta salad tastes even better the next day and will last about five days in the fridge in an airtight container.
Using white balsamic vinegar will change the flavor of this dish slightly, but it will still work.
🌱 More summer recipes
If you loved this recipe, leave a 5 ⭐️ rating on the recipe card and comment below!
📖 Recipe
Easy Balsamic Pasta Salad (Dairy Free)
Ingredients
Pasta Salad
- 16 ounces rotini pasta (or any small shaped pasta)
- 1 red bell pepper (diced)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes (quartered (or sun dried tomatoes))
- ⅓ cup fresh basil (chopped)
- ½ red onion (diced)
- ½ cup kalamata olives (or black olives)
- 8 ounces vegan feta cheese (or toasted pine nuts)
- 14 ounce can of great northern beans (or chickpeas)
Balsamic Vinaigrette
- ⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon sugar (or maple syrup)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 large clove of garlic (minced)
Instructions
- Cook your pasta according to directions on box. Drain and rinse pasta with cool water16 ounces rotini pasta
- In a bowl, mix together all of the ingredients for the balsamic dressing. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.⅓ cup balsamic vinegar, ¼ cup olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon sugar, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 1 large clove of garlic, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Add in the cooked and cooled pasta, and the rest of the ingredients. Gently mix.1 red bell pepper, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, ⅓ cup fresh basil, ½ red onion, ½ cup kalamata olives, 14 ounce can of great northern beans, 16 ounces rotini pasta
- Top with vegan feta cheese or toasted pine nuts8 ounces vegan feta cheese
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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