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    Home » All-Recipes » Salads

    Veggie Pasta Salad with Avocado Mustard Dressing

    Published: Jul 14, 2016 · Modified: Jan 2, 2022 by Margaret · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · 8 Comments

    This vegan gluten-free veggie pasta salad offers a pleasing combination of pasta, fresh crunchy vegetables and a creamy avocado mustard dressing.

    Veggie Pasta Salad with Avocado Mustard Dressing - this gluten-free vegan recipe offers a pleasing combination of pasta, fresh crunchy vegetables and creamy avocado dressing - chickpeas add protein so it works well as a meal or a side dish | VeggiePrimer.com
    Jump to:
    • Veggie Pasta Salad
    • Meal or Side Dish
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    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

    Veggie Pasta Salad with Avocado Mustard Dressing - this gluten-free vegan recipe offers a pleasing combination of pasta, fresh crunchy vegetables and creamy avocado dressing - chickpeas add protein so it works well as a meal or a side dish | VeggiePrimer.com

    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

    Veggie Pasta Salad with Avocado Mustard Dressing - this gluten-free vegan recipe offers a pleasing combination of pasta, fresh crunchy vegetables and creamy avocado dressing - chickpeas add protein so it works well as a meal or a side dish | VeggiePrimer.com

    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 - this gluten-free vegan recipe offers a pleasing combination of pasta, fresh crunchy vegetables and creamy avocado dressing - chickpeas add protein so it works well as a meal or a side dish | VeggiePrimer.com
    Print Pin

    Veggie Pasta Salad with Avocado Mustard Dressing

    This gluten-free vegan recipe works well as a meal or a side dish
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 15 minutes
    Total Time 30 minutes
    Servings 8
    Author Veggie Primer

    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.

    Veggie Pasta Salad with Avocado Mustard Dressing - this gluten-free vegan recipe offers a pleasing combination of pasta, fresh crunchy vegetables and creamy avocado dressing - chickpeas add protein so it works well as a meal or a side dish | VeggiePrimer.com
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. maggi schrock

      July 17, 2016 at 2:45 pm

      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

      Reply
      • Margaret

        July 17, 2016 at 3:05 pm

        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! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Brett A

      June 01, 2017 at 4:44 pm

      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?

      Reply
      • Margaret

        June 02, 2017 at 9:35 am

        Coconut milk from the can. Sorry I didn't think to specify. 🙂

        Reply
        • Brett A

          June 09, 2017 at 3:59 pm

          Thanks!

          Reply
    3. Sharon Pierscionek

      August 02, 2017 at 11:34 pm

      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?

      Reply
      • Margaret

        August 03, 2017 at 8:28 am

        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.

        Reply
        • Sharon

          August 03, 2017 at 1:02 pm

          Thanks for your reply.

          Reply

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