This vegan gluten-free veggie pasta salad offers a pleasing combination of pasta, fresh crunchy vegetables and a creamy avocado mustard dressing.
Summer potlucks and backyard BBQs aren’t complete without pasta salad. But to be perfectly honest, I was never a fan. Regular mayo doesn’t agree with me. So when I began to explore summer recipes, I wondered how a plant-based pasta salad might taste.
Veggie Pasta Salad
This veggie pasta salad changes everything. Sure, most pasta salads combine veggies with pasta. This recipe’s creamy avocado mustard dressing makes the difference. It provides a lovely mildly tangy flavor. And it has just the right consistency to coat the veggies and pasta without overwhelming their taste or becoming too runny.
Meal or Side Dish
Chickpeas add protein, so this veggie pasta salad works well as a meal or a side dish. You can prepare it a day or two in advance to enjoy yourself or share with friends.
📖 Recipe
Veggie Pasta Salad with Avocado Mustard Dressing
Ingredients
Dressing
- ⅓ cup whole fat coconut milk
- ½ avocado pit and skin removed
- 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. mustard I use Nathan’s Famous Original Deli Style Mustard
- 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
- ¼ tsp. fine sea salt
Salad
- 1 16 oz bag of gluten-free pasta I use Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta
- 2 cups cooked or canned chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 1 cup baby carrots
- 1 medium red onion chopped
- 1 cup chopped cucumber peeled and seeded
- 1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
- 1 cup grape tomatoes sliced in half
- ¼ cup fresh parsley
- ¼ cup fresh dill
Instructions
Dressing
- Combine coconut milk, avocado, lemon juice, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, mustard, maple syrup and sea salt in a blender.
- Blend from low to high for approximately 40 second or until dressing is smooth and creamy.
Salad
- Cook pasta according to instructions on package then drain and rinse with cold water when done.
- Place pasta in a large mixing bowl and add a little of the dressing to keep it from sticking together.
- Add baby carrots to a food processor fitted with an S blade and pulse to mince.
- Add chickpeas, minced carrots, chopped onion, cucumber, pepper and sliced tomatoes to pasta along with remaining dressing and stir to mix.
- Place fresh parsley and fresh dill in food processor and pulse to mince.
- Add minced parsley and dill to pasta salad and stir to mix well.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate for later use. Salad keeps well in the fridge for 2 or 3 days.
Note: I do not include nutrition information with my recipes because I subscribe to the theories presented in the book Whole and believe we should focus on eating a variety of whole foods instead of counting calories or keeping track of individual nutrients.
maggi schrock
i have got to make this soon. it's so hot out and i don't want to cook much. this sounds really tasty. yum
Margaret
Thanks Maggi - It's yummy! But you will have to cook the pasta. If you are looking for a tasty meal that requires no cooking I suggest you try making some Spring Rolls. They are a family favorite in hot hot weather! 🙂
Brett A
This looks good - on the coconut milk though... is this coconut milk from a can (like from the asian section of the store) or coconut milk from the dairy section near the regular cow milk?
Margaret
Coconut milk from the can. Sorry I didn't think to specify. 🙂
Brett A
Thanks!
Sharon Pierscionek
This looks good and I'm anxious to try it. Just a couple of questions. I'm trying to minimize oil from my diet. Will this work without the oil? Does the coconut milk add a coconut flavor (which neither my husband nor I particularly care for)? Can I use almond milk or anything else?
Margaret
Hi Sharon - the coconut milk does not add a coconut flavor - just a bit of creaminess. However, you can certainly try eliminating the olive oil and substituting the coconut milk. It may yield a slightly different consistency, but it should still be tasty! Let me know how it goes.
Sharon
Thanks for your reply.