Pasta salads are underrated, especially in the summertime. They often get overlook at potlucks, work parties, and barbecues. But really, what’s not to love about pasta salad? Typically, they’re saucy, salty, full of fun textures, and duh, they’re mainly pasta. These dishes deserve more credit and more of the spotlight! For a true stunner, try my Vegan Protein Pesto Pasta. It’s healthy and easy to make, even on a hot day. With a short ingredient list, your shopping trip will be a breeze. Plus, you can make a ton of this, either for a party or to meal prep, in just 45 minutes!
Ingredients
- Red lentil rotini
- Asparagus
- Water
- Olive oil
- Vegan Kale Pesto
- Manzanilla olives
- Salt
- Grape tomatoes
. For this recipe, I recommend Barilla’s Red Lentil Rotini. It’s packed with fiber and protein, making this salad a complete meal in itself.
. If you want to make this when asparagus isn’t in season, try picking replacement veggie like broccoli, cauliflower, or zucchini. Same goes for the grape tomatoes, which you can always replace with romas.
. You can of course use store bought pesto, but to make the most delicious version of this dish, I recommend my Vegan Kale Pesto.
. Of course, if you don’t like manzanilla olives (a type of green olive) try using black or kalamata instead.
How to Make this Salad
To begin, fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Make sure you give you pasta enough water to boil in, or it may stick together need a rinse from all the starch. Feel free to follow the instructions on your box of Barilla pasta, but just make sure your pasta is fully cooked by the time you drain it. While the pasta boils, combine the water sliced asparagus, water, and oil in a pan and heat.
Once the water begins to bubble, cover the pan and lower the heat slightly, steaming the asparagus for 3-5 minutes depending on the stalk width. Drain it once it’s tender enough to eat. Add the pasta, asparagus, pesto, olives, and salt to a bowl and toss it together. Once it’s cooled a bit, add the tomatoes and toss very gently once more before serving.
What to Pair this With
This salad is actually meant to be a main course, as it has sufficient calories and macronutrients. However, if you are looking for something to pair it with, consider dietary restrictions. As a non-vegan, I think this would go well with a nice fillet of salmon. This could also be paired with a burger, plant based or otherwise, especially in the summer months. My favorite time eating this salad was at a large barbecue, where we all shared burgers and hot dogs, corn, this salad, and a blueberry cheesecake after.
Vegan Protein Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 8.8 oz red lentil rotini pasta boxes, boiled and cooked
- 4 cups asparagus, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups vegan kale pesto, see recipe linked in notes
- 5.75 oz sliced manzanilla olives with pimentos, drained
- 1/2 - 1 tsp salt, dependent on taste
- 2 cups grape tomatoes, sliced in half
Instructions
- In a large pot, boil enough water to boil and fully cook the red lentil pasta.
- While the pasta boils, heat the asparagus, water, and oil in a pan. Once the water is lightly bubbling, cover the pan and let steam for 3-5 minutes or until your stalks are tender enough to eat.
- Drain the pasta and the asparagus, then toss in a large bowl with the pesto, olives, and salt.
- Let the dish sit and cool slightly, about 10 minutes, before gently adding the tomatoes.