This vegan pesto pasta salad recipe was shared with us by Susan Voisin of FatFreeVegan.com. We’ve adapted it just a little. The recipe isn’t quite fat-free, due to the nuts and a wee bit of fat in the tofu, but it is oil-free and quite low in fat. It’s also got a good dose of protein.
You can make this dish even more nutritious with lentil pasta. But if you are going to make it ahead, regular wheat pasta or corn pasta (for gluten-free) tend to keep best.
Special Diet Notes: Vegan Pesto Pasta Salad
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, optionally gluten-free, peanut-free, vegan, plant-based, and vegetarian.
For nut-free pesto pasta salad, you can substitute sunflower seeds for the nuts.
Vegan Pesto Pasta Salad
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This dish is best when served fresh. If you opt to make it ahead or store any leftovers, then you might want to add a little lemon juice to the sauce. It helps to preserve the freshness of the basil and tastes good too!
Author: Adapted from Susan Voisin
Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta (gluten-free, if needed)
- ¼ cup pine nuts, chopped walnuts, or chopped cashews, plus additional for garnish
- 3 to 4 large garlic cloves
- 3 cups fresh basil (or 2 cups basil + 1 cup spinach)
- 6 ounces (1/2 12-ounce package) firm silken tofu
- 2 tablespoons water or unsweetened dairy-free milk beverage
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1 to 2 large tomatoes, chopped
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions, and then rinse with cool water. Put the cooked pasta in a large bowl.
- Put the ¼ cup walnuts and garlic in your food processor or blender and pulse until finely minced. Add the basil, tofu, water or milk beverage, nutritional yeast, and salt and process until smooth.
- Pour the creamy pesto sauce over the pasta and add the tomatoes. Toss until evenly coated. Sprinkle with more nuts, to serve, if desired.
More Vegan Pasta Salad Recipes
Ranch Pasta Salad
Healthy Plant-Based Pasta Salad
Pesto Hummus Pasta Salad
