Vegan Italian Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Pasta salad
- 16 oz rotini pasta
- 3/4 pint grape tomatoes
- 1/2 of each (yellow, orange, green & red bell peppers)
- 2 oz black olives
- 1 cheddar block @violife_foods
- 1/2 red onion
- 3/4-1 batch of Italian dressing
- Garnishes (optional): parsley & extra seasonings
Italian dressing
- 1 cup olive oil
- 2/3 cup red wine vinegar or white vinegar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (optional)
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- Seasoning mix: 1.5 tsp of each (basil, coconut sugar, nutritional yeast, & oregano), 1 tsp of each (onion powder & sea salt), 3/4 tsp thyme, 1/2 tsp of each (black pepper, dried parsley, & red pepper flakes)
Preparation
Add dressing ingredients to a small bowl and whisk until everything is evenly distributed. Refrigerate dressing while working on the pasta salad.
Cook pasta in salted water according to package instructions. After, drain pasta in a colander and rinse with cold water.
Chop all vegetables and vegan cheese into desired size pieces.
Remove dressing from refrigerator. Be sure to whisk again so that the oil and vinegar are evenly combined.
Add pasta, chopped vegetables, vegan cheese and Italian dressing to a large bowl. Mix until everything is evenly distributed. Garnish with parsley and extra seasonings.
Transfer pasta salad to refrigerator safe meal prep containers and store in refrigerator until ready to eat.
Tips
Allow the pasta salad to sit in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving for optimal flavor.
