Easy Vegan Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing

This easy vegan pasta salad with Italian dressing is a simple side dish to make for a backyard barbecue, or an easy dinner option when it's too hot to cook. I make big batches in the summer then eat it throughout the week for a fuss-free meal.

Pasta salad is my go-to meal in the summer when it's too hot to have the stove on for more than 10 minutes, but I want something more substantial than salad.

I almost feel silly for calling this a recipe since it uses bottled Italian dressing, but I wanted to be totally honest about how I make it. Plus, who doesn't love an easy weeknight meal? It's quick, tasty, and is also great for meal prep.

🍅 Ingredients

Pasta salad is super customizable—use any veggies you have on hand!

• Pasta (any kind, but I'm partial to rotini or farfalle)
• Veggies
• Olives
• Italian dressing
• Seasoning (fresh herbs, lemon pepper, salt, and pepper)

🔪 Instructions

1. Boil the pasta until al dente, according to the package directions.
2. Drain the pasta, then rinse under cool water to bring to room temperature. Pour the cooked pasta into a large serving bowl.
3. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in the saucepan you used for the pasta, then add the Swiss chard (or other greens). Season with the lemon pepper and sauté until wilted, about 2 minutes.
4. Pour 1 cup Italian dressing into the bowl of pasta, then stir to coat.
5. Add the cooked Swiss chard, cherry tomatoes, chick peas, sliced onion, olives, and fresh basil and mix in.
6. Add more dressing if needed, then season with lemon pepper and salt to taste. Chill for 30 minutes to an hour before serving.

💭 Tips

• You don't have to cook the Swiss chard before adding it to the salad, but I find that sautéing it for a couple of minutes reduces the bitterness. The lemon pepper also adds a nice flavor!
• You can vary the type of dressing you use—it would be great with green goddess dressing or a cashew-based dressing.
• Add some slices of vegan mozzarella if you like! My favorite is Miyoko's fresh mozzarella, or homemade.

🥗 Pairings

I like to keep it simple when eating pasta salad, and opt to eat it as my main dish. But if you're serving it as a side dish or bringing it to a party, these other recipes go well with it!

Black Bean Burgers with Chipotle Mayo

Toss these black bean burgers on the grill and serve this vegan pasta salad with Italian dressing on the side, and you have an easy and delicious summer meal!

Potato Salad with Dill & Parsley

Potato salad and pasta salad are staples at any summer party, and these vegan versions are so easy to make.

Basil Watermelon Agua Fresca

Cool off with this Italian version of an agua fresca with fresh basil and watermelon.

Wine Popsicle Cocktails

Once you start using popsicles as ice for your white wine, you'll wanna do it all summer long.

📖 Recipe

Easy Vegan Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Inactive Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

This vegan pasta salad is a simple side dish to make for a backyard barbecue, or for dinner on hot days. All you need is pasta, your favorite veggies, olives, and Italian dressing.

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Ingredients

• 1 lb pasta, such as rotini, penne, or farfalle
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ bunch Swiss chard, or other leafy greens, chopped
• ½ teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
• 1-1 ½ cups Italian dressing
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
• 1 cup chick peas
• ½ small onion, sliced
• 1 cup black olives, sliced
• ½ cup basil leaves or other fresh herbs, sliced and loosely packed
• Lemon pepper and salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Boil the pasta until al dente, according to the package directions.
2. Drain the pasta, then rinse under cool water to bring to room temperature. Pour the cooked pasta into a large serving bowl.
3. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in the saucepan you used for the pasta, then add the Swiss chard (or other greens). Season with the lemon pepper and sauté until wilted, about 2 minutes.
4. Pour 1 cup Italian dressing into the bowl of pasta, then stir to coat.
5. Add the cooked Swiss chard, cherry tomatoes, chick peas, sliced onion, olives, and fresh basil and mix in.
6. Add more dressing if needed, then season with lemon pepper and salt to taste.
7. Chill for 30 minutes to an hour before serving.

Notes

• You can use any kinds of veggies you like for your pasta salad.
• I like to cook the Swiss chard before adding it to the pasta because I find that helps reduce the bitterness. You can use raw greens if you prefer.

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• 
  Badia Lemon Pepper, 6.5 Ounce

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: ⅛ recipe
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 341Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 741mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 5gSugar: 7gProtein: 9g

All nutritional information presented within this site are intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on seitanbeatsyourmeat.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. Even though I try to provide accurate nutritional information to the best of my ability, these figures should still be considered estimates.

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