I have a hard time eating leftovers for lunch every day. Instead, I’m always hunting easy yet tasty lunches that don’t take much prep work. I know that sounds like a unicorn, but it’s not! My healthy pasta salad checks all the boxes (and has a good amount of protein as well). Feel free to keep it a vegan pasta salad with the vegan feta or toss in your favorite cheese if you can tolerate it.
I set out to create this healthy pasta salad after Rawkstar Jennifer told me she was looking for quick and healthy recipes that her high schooler could take to school. I love how the different flavors mix in this recipe without meat or dairy.
Table of Contents
Healthy Pasta Salad Recipe
Follow cooking directions on the pasta package, allowing the pasta to remain slightly undercooked. This will help keep the pasta from falling apart in the salad. Drain and rinse with cold water until pasta is completely cool, then drain well again.
While the pasta is cooling, mix all the Basic Vinaigrette ingredients in a bowl until combined.
Place cooled pasta into a large bowl and add the vegetables and herbs. Gently toss. Drizzle Basic Vinaigrette over the pasta salad and gently toss again. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
If meal prepping salad, transfer the salad to airtight containers and store it in the refrigerator until ready to use.
While I created this healthy pasta salad with lunch in mind, it works great as a shareable side at as a healthy BBQ side dish, potluck or family meal.
Tips and Tricks to the Best Pasta Salad
Toss the salad well in the dressing as this helps it keep well in the fridge. Store in individual serving airtight containers to grab when you need to quickly. If you like your greens extra fresh, then wait to add those until you’re ready to eat, so they don’t wilt.
Ingredient Swaps
Probably my favorite part about this healthy pasta salad lunch is how much you can customize it to your taste preferences! Here are a few swaps I suggest if you want to try them:
- Swap olive oil with avocado oil.
- Swap red wine vinegar with the vinegar of your choice.
- Use your preferred pasta type, or use gluten-free.
- Cannellini beans can be swapped with another kind of legume (black beans, kidney beans or chickpeas are great swaps).
- Add the veggies of your choice! Radishes or cucumbers are great additions.
- Feel free to add nuts or seeds for an extra crunch.
I have a hard time eating the same thing over again, even when it’s as delicious as this vegan pasta salad. So you’ll find mine with a slight variation every time I make it, and that’s fine.
Commonly Asked Pasta Salad Questions
It doesn’t have to be! Ditch the store-made pasta salads made with additives and processed ingredients. Home make one instead with loads of fresh greens and a light, oil-based dressing.
My salad should stay fresh in the fridge for up to five days since it is oil-based. Dairy or mayo-based salads will keep fewer days.
Choose a pasta salad that is oil-based instead of dairy or mayonnaise-based, has plenty of fresh veggies and leafy greens and a good protein source like beans or tofu. This recipe’s got it all!
Easy Vegan Lunches
If you don’t use leftovers to fuel your lunch, you need to make or buy them every day. I love batching easy recipes for lunch that we can grab throughout the week. Here are a few of my favorites, along with the healthy pasta salad below:
- Thai Lettuce Wraps– make the filling and cut the veggies ahead of time, then portion out into containers.
- Vegetarian Noodle Salad– toss together and enjoy throughout the week.
- Tomato Soup– This recipe pairs so well with a variety of sandwiches or can be eaten on its own.
- Plant-Based Pizza– I’m serious! This filling pizza recipe heats up nicely for lunch.
- Veggie Wraps with Hummus– These wraps help you eat the rainbow without munching on salad all the time. Colorful produce wrapped in filling hummus and the wrap of your choice.
- Marinated Celery Salad– The reviews for this salad have been incredible thanks to the marinated Mediterranean flavors paired with the basil, sun-dried tomatoes and arugula.
Take the guesswork out of lunch when you double or triple a recipe, then save it for the days ahead. The vegan pasta salad below is filling and doesn’t even need to be heated up to enjoy.
Don’t forget to tell me how you like it by leaving a rating + review!
Healthy Pasta Salad
Equipment
- stove top
Ingredients
Basic Vinaigrette
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 garlic cloves finely minced
- â…› tsp sea salt to taste
- â…› tsp black pepper ground, to taste
Pasta Salad
- 16 oz pasta
- 3 cups arugula pre-washed
- 15 oz cannellini beans canned, drained and well rinsed
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 3 green onions diced
- 1 can black olives sliced
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, julienned
- ¼ cup fresh herbs finely minced (basil, mint, parsley, etc)
- ¾ cup Basic Vinaigrette
- vegan feta optional
Instructions
- Follow cooking directions on pasta package, allowing pasta to remain slightly undercooked. This will help keep the pasta from falling apart in the salad. Drain and rinse with cold water until pasta is completely cool.
- While the pasta is cooling, mix all the Basic Vinaigrette ingredients together in a bowl until combined.
- Place cooled pasta into a large bowl and add the vegetables and herbs. Gently toss. Drizzle Basic Vinaigrette over the pasta salad and gently toss again. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- If meal prepping, transfer the salad to airtight containers and store in refrigerator until ready to use.
Notes
- Use the pasta of your choice: bowtie, fusilli, shells, etc.
- Arugula has a strong, peppery flavor. You can swap with kale or spinach.
- Cannellini beans can be swapped with the legume of your choice.
- I love using basil, oregano and chives yet you can any fresh herbs.Â
Of all the salads I have made so far in the challenge, this one, by far, was the easiest to make with yummy, simple ingredients that combined to make a simply superb meal. I was doubtful of the white beans combined with pasta and the herb choices (mint? Who knew!)but it worked beautifully. My only concern would be that I would dial back the amount of dressing on the salad but otherwise I would not change a thing! Well done.
I loved it. I am not a traditional Caesar salad fan, but I love this version. The cheese sprinkle was also a great addition.
This was good, but I like a dressing with more punch.
Would up the mustard and vinegar.
Fantastic!
I am not a big pasta salad fan so this was not my favorite but it is a good recipe.
Easy and healthy pasta recipe that’s delicious days after preparing! Family favorite dish for sure.
Loved this salad. Nice dressing and great flavor combo
Loved this salad and very pretty
This was the perfect filling salad to make the night before for my kids the next day because of their busy sports schedules. I used chickpea pasta for extra protein.
Loving it!!
The carrot salad was very tasty and flavorful. I served it with grilled chicken thighs and everyone loved it.
Sounds like a delicious meal!
Sounds so yummy!
Loved this pasta salad! I feel like I never get the dressing for pasta salad right and after making this I think I was overcomplicating it lol. I don’t like olives and my spouse can’t eat bell peppers, so those got added to individual bowls after everything else was mixed. I used chick pea pasta, we switched to bean pastas awhile back, but that was the only major change aside from the olives and peppers note. Completely forgot the feta until we ate all of it! I doubled the recipe and barely had a serving left for lunch. Will definitely make this again, and with the feta, I love feta.
Great job making the ingredients work for both of you!
Very tasty! Especially enjoyed the dressing
I especially liked the dressing and the arugula – on top of all the other ingredients I enjoy. Discovering through this challenge more ingredients to include in my staples.
I used baby kale instead of argula in this salad. It is a good mix of fixings 😉