Italian Pasta Salad (vegan)

Looking for a great side dish for a barbecue? Try this Italian Pasta Salad. It has all the classic flavors. It keeps well. And it is delicious!

I never thought to attempt it until I stumbled across this feta recipe. It is made out of tofu, which usually I can’t stand, but when I made this I ended up eating most of it straight out of the bowl. I barely had enough left over to put in the salad! 

It took me a minute to get the dressing just right but once I did even my kids were asking for more. Other than the dressing and the feta, the rest of the recipe comes together with barely any effort. Chop some veggies and toss them with some pasta and you are good to go!

You can make this salad the night before because it stores extremely well. It would also be a great dish to make for meal prep for the week! yum.

I ended up making the feta for the salad the night before and it was perfectly tasty the next day when I added it to the salad. 

My best tips for keeping this salad at the top level are:

• Make the feta the night before to save time when you are ready to make the salad.
• Use cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half or quarters. I know it is easier to chop up a big tomato but the little ones have a little less juice and hold their shape better. 
• Slice the onions into quarter strips. Diced onions get lost, and the texture, when eaten with the salad, isn’t as good.
• Dress your noodles right after you drain them to avoid clumping.
• Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. 

What are your favorite barbecue side dishes? Let me know in the comments below!

Italian Pasta Salad

A vegan twist on an old favorite. This is a perfect addition for your next barbecue! Yum!

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Author: Chantry Montgomery

Ingredients

• 1 lb dry spiral noodles
• 1 cup black olives sliced
• 1 cup red onion sliced
• 1 cup grape tomatoes halfed
• 1 cup cucumber sliced and quartered
• 1 cup vegan feta

Dressing

• ½ cup cashew yogurt
• 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon garlic granules
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon dried parsley
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary

Instructions

• Prepare tofu feta if not already done.
• Cook noodles according to directions.
• Chop veggies.
• Combine dressing ingredients together
• Toss noodles, veggies, feta, and dressing together and enjoy!