Oil-Free Pasta Salad
Packed with veggies and tons of flavor, this Oil-Free Pasta Salad is a healthy spin on a summer classic. Whole grain pasta (or use gluten-free) is complemented by crunchy vegetables and an incredibly delicious homemade oil-free balsamic vinaigrette. This whole food plant based pasta salad is the perfect side dish or entree and is delicious served warm or chilled.
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After publishing my incredibly delicious whole food plant based potato salad last week, I decided I needed a healthy plant based pasta salad on my site too.
But how to dress it? Most pasta salad recipes are loaded with oil or a creamy dressing that isn’t much better than oil.
My vegan ranch pasta salad and vegan macaroni salad are pretty healthy options, but I wanted a more traditional Italian pasta salad (but made healthier!).
So when I was coming up with my sweet lime oil-free vinaigrette, I decided to also test a homemade oil-free balsamic vinaigrette. Well wouldn’t you know it’s actually delicious!
And it works perfectly in this plant based oil-free pasta salad.
There’s just something about the hearty whole grain pasta (use gluten-free or legume-based pastas if you need/want to) with the fresh crunchy vegetables and the tangy and flavorful dressing. I LOVE this oil-free vegan pasta salad.
I especially like the veggies I chose because of what they add to the salad. The cucumber adds some freshness, the bell peppers and grape tomatoes add sweetness, and the red onion adds a nice little bite. I also have optional sun dried tomatoes in there (the kind that come vacuum sealed, not jarred in oil) for extra flavor!
You can also swap out any of the veggies, add in a protein like some cubed baked tofu or no-salt-added garbanzo beans (AKA chickpeas), or swap out the pasta for a cooked whole grain such as coarse bulgur, rye berries, oat groats, etc.
No matter how you customize it, please try this recipe! It’s absolutely delicious.
Ingredients
See the recipe card below for the full ingredients list (with amounts) and instructions.
- Whole Grain Pasta: I like whole wheat or whole grain pasta for this healthy plant based pasta salad. Of course, use gluten-free pasta if you cannot have gluten for any reason.
- Fresh Vegetables: I used seedless cucumber (regular cucumber tends to have a thick skin you might want to peel, and you also may want to seed it to reduce the water content), red/orange/yellow bell pepper, grape tomatoes (cherry tomatoes also work), and red onion.
- Sun Dried Tomatoes, Optional: I added in chopped sun dried tomatoes that come in a vacuum-sealed pack (I look for organic ones without added sugar or oil and the lowest sodium) for some extra fun flavor, but it’s totally optional.
- Oil-Free Balsamic Vinaigrette: I used a full batch of my homemade oil-free balsamic vinaigrette for this awesome oil-free pasta salad!
- Other Ingredients to Consider: If you want to customize your pasta salad, you can add goodies like no-salt-added garbanzo beans (AKA chickpeas) or small cubes of baked tofu or tempeh, dried fruit, nuts or seeds, chopped greens, or anything you want!
Substitutions
- Whole Grain Pasta: Use any kind of pasta you enjoy here. If you prefer traditional white pasta, go ahead and use that. Want more protein? Try a bean or legume-based pasta. Use your favorite gluten-free pasta if you are gluten-free.
- Fresh Vegetables: You don’t have to use the vegetables I used here! This pasta salad would be great with other veggies such as grated carrots, finely chopped celery, finely chopped radishes, chopped sugar snap peas, or anything else you enjoy.
- Oil-Free Balsamic Vinaigrette: Use whatever dressing or sauce you like here. Prefer things creamy? Try blending up some tofu or white beans with your favorite seasonings and lemon juice or vinegar (plus water to blend). Or mix creamy hummus with vinegar, water, Dijon mustard, and seasonings to make a fun dressing.
How to Make Oil-Free Pasta Salad
Watch me make this recipe or follow the step-by-step instructions below.
- Cook pasta: You can do this ahead of time if you’d like to serve your plant-based pasta salad chilled, or you can cool down the cooked pasta by rinsing it with cold water. Just cook your pasta according to package instructions and drain in a colander. I prefer to cook my pasta to just past al dente for pasta salad.
- Warm or cold? If you want to serve your oil-free pasta salad warm, simply proceed with the recipe. If you want it cold, you can either rinse the pasta under cold water, or let it cool to room temperature and store it in a container in the fridge for at least a few hours.
- Make the dressing: If you haven’t already, make your oil-free balsamic vinaigrette dressing or the plant based dressing of your choice and set aside (I like to do this ahead of time so I can refrigerate it in time for serving).
- Mix the pasta salad: Add the drained pasta (warm or chilled) to a large bowl and add in your chopped vegetables and sun dried tomatoes. Give it a quick toss, then add the dressing and toss well to combine.
- Serve: Serve immediately; you can enjoy this oil-free vegan pasta salad as an entree or a side dish. You can also bring it to a potluck or barbecue, as it’s a recipe all types of eaters will enjoy!
- Storage: Because cooked pasta doesn’t hold up as well as cooked whole grains, I’d aim to eat this plant-based pasta salad up in a day or two. When refrigerated in an airtight container, it will technically last up to 3 or 4 days, but after day 2, the delicate veggies like cucumber and bell pepper start to soften and the pasta texture won’t be the same (this especially seems true for gluten-free pastas).
Expert Tips
- Customize It! Use the veggies, dressing, and add-ins that you like! This particular recipe for oil-free vegan pasta salad only describes what I like. Customize this recipe for your own tastes and preferences.
- Add Protein: Use a protein-packed pasta such as a chickpea pasta or lentil pasta and/or add your favorite plant based protein to this recipe. Ideas for add-ins include no-salt added garbanzo beans (AKA chickpeas) or other beans, soy curls, baked tofu cubes, baked tempeh cubes or crumbles, etc.
- Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad Variation: For a roasted vegetable pasta salad (coming soon!), try roasting up red onion, mushrooms, grape tomatoes, zucchini or yellow squash, and eggplant and mixing them with the pasta for a delicious spin on pasta salad.
- Eat Within 1-2 Days: The chopped veggies won’t hold up much longer than that (hardier veggies like carrots and celery will, but cucumbers/bell peppers/tomatoes have a high water content and are more delicate) and the pasta also starts to change in texture after a few days. If you’re cooking for one and don’t think you’ll eat all the pasta salad before it deteriorates, try halving the recipe!
Serving Suggestions
Although this plant-based pasta salad is loaded with veggies, my favorite way to serve it is… with more veggies! I typically serve this oil-free pasta salad as half of my (large) plate and fill the other half with cooked vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, etc. That’s both for my weight loss regimen and for my health since I like to really get in as many vegetables as I can!
However, everyone has different health goals and needs. So you do what’s right for you!
This healthy vegan pasta salad would also go well with baked tempeh or tofu (maybe with a BBQ flavor!), more starch such as a baked potato (depending on your goals!) or a lighter side salad, like my kale salad with blueberries and grapes.
More Plant Based Recipes You’ll Love
- Whole Food Plant Based Potato Salad
- Creamy Mushroom Stroganoff
- Chickpea Tuna (great in lettuce wraps, sandwiches, and more!)
- Bell Pepper Nachos with Edamame Guacamole and Plant Based Nacho Cheese Sauce
- Kale Sweet Potato Salad
- Portobello Pizzas
- Golden Beet Beans and Greens
- Hummus Veggie Sandwich
Oil-Free Pasta Salad
Equipment
- 1 Colander
Ingredients
- 8 Ounces Cooked Pasta, we used whole grain pasta, but use what you like; use gluten-free if needed.
- 1 Small Seedless Cucumber, finely chopped, about 2 cups. If using a regular cucumber, you may want to peel and seed it for best results.
- 1 ½ Cups Bell Pepper, diced, we used half of a red, orange, and yellow pepper for color.
- 1 Cup Grape or Cherry Tomatoes, halved or quartered depending on size. We used "medley grape tomatoes" for color.
- ½ Small Red Onion, very finely chopped (about ½ cup). Amount to taste. Swap out sweet or yellow onion or green onion for milder flavor.
- ½ Cup Sun Dried Tomatoes, chopped (optional ingredient). We recommend buying the kind that come vacuum packed, not in a jar with oil.
Dressing Options
- 1 Batch Oil-Free Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Creamy Hummus Dressing, mix creamy hummus with vinegar, water, Dijon mustard, and seasonings to make a fun dressing.
- Plant-Based Dressing of Choice
Instructions
- Cook pasta: You can do this ahead of time if you'd like to serve your plant-based pasta salad chilled, or you can cool down the cooked pasta by rinsing it with cold water. Just cook your pasta according to package instructions and drain in a colander. I prefer to cook my pasta to just past al dente for pasta salad.
- Warm or cold? If you want to serve your oil-free pasta salad warm, simply proceed with the recipe. If you want it cold, you can either rinse the pasta under cold water, or let it cool to room temperature and store it in a container in the fridge for at least a few hours.
- Make the dressing: If you haven't already, make your oil-free balsamic vinaigrette dressing or the plant based dressing of your choice and set aside (I like to do this ahead of time so I can refrigerate it in time for serving).
- Mix the pasta salad: Add the drained pasta (warm or chilled) to a large bowl and add in your chopped vegetables and sun dried tomatoes. Give it a quick toss, then add the dressing and toss well to combine.
- Serve: Serve immediately; you can enjoy this oil-free vegan pasta salad as an entree or a side dish. You can also bring it to a potluck or barbecue, as it's a recipe all types of eaters will enjoy!
- Storage: Because cooked pasta doesn't hold up as well as cooked whole grains, I'd aim to eat this plant-based pasta salad up in a day or two. When refrigerated in an airtight container, it will technically last up to 3 or 4 days, but after day 2, the delicate veggies like cucumber and bell pepper start to soften and the pasta texture won't be the same (this especially seems true for gluten-free pastas).
Video
Notes
- Whole Grain Pasta: Use any kind of pasta you enjoy here. If you prefer traditional white pasta, go ahead and use that. Want more protein? Try a bean or legume-based pasta. Use your favorite gluten-free pasta if you are gluten-free.
- Fresh Vegetables: You don’t have to use the vegetables I used here! This pasta salad would be great with other veggies such as grated carrots, finely chopped celery, finely chopped radishes, chopped sugar snap peas, or anything else you enjoy.
- Customize It! Use the veggies, dressing, and add-ins that you like! This particular recipe for oil-free vegan pasta salad only describes what I like. Customize this recipe for your own tastes and preferences.
- Note About Nutrition Facts: The nutrition facts listed do not contain the dressing. Please calculate using the nutrition facts on the dressing’s page if you use my homemade oil-free balsamic vinaigrette.
I love your recipes!!!! And your fun personality in your videos!
Thank you so much!