Vegan Pasta Salad
Some may say it’s a pasta salad summer because lets be honest- is there anything better than pasta salad in a creamy dressing for lunch on a hot summers day?!
This high protein pasta salad packs in over 60g of plant protein per serving and plenty of fibre too making it a super nutritious summer lunch recipe.
This recipe features high protein pasta, crumbled tofu, cannellini beans and veggies tossed in a green goddess inspired dressing that is made of silken tofu for a creamy texture and even more protein!
This protein pasta salad is great for meal prep if you’re looking to boost your protein with something easy to make but still delicious.
Feel free to customise the veggies/protein in this but don’t skip the dressing- That’s the best bit!
Protein content in pasta salad
The protein count for a serve of this pasta salad is 62g using the ingredients I used however different pastas and tofu has different protein count so if you're tracking your protein count be aware that this may differ depending on the product.
Pasta salad ingredients
- Cannellini beans- you can use any white bean here- butter beans, navy beans or even chickpeas would be great.
- Tofu- I use raw extra firm tofu but if you prefer it to be cooked that works too. Alternatives are vegan chicken, baked tempeh or homemade seitan- choice is yours!
- High protein pasta- Here in Australia I use the brand ‘vetta’ high protein pasta which gives 24g protein per 100g. Red lentil pasta is also higher protein than regular pasta. Regular pasta is also fine for a lower protein count but still delicious!
- Silken tofu- Silken tofu makes a great creamy pasta dressing. You could also use firm tofu but you’ll need to add more oil and water to thin the sauce.
- Basil- Fresh basil only please! You could substitute for another herb if you prefer the flavour of other herbs more.
- Garlic- Fresh or powder is fine.
- Lemon- Fresh or bottled lemon is fine. Add some zest too if you like it extra lemony!
- Dijon mustard- Dijon or wholegrain is fine- this helps to thicken the dressing.
- Spring onion- You can substitute this for shallot if you prefer.
- Nutritional yeast- Nooch is responsible for the cheesy, savory flavor of the dressing so don’t skip this. You could use vegan parmesan instead if you like.
- Spinach- A small amount of spinach helps the dressing look greener. You can omit this if you like.
How to meal prep pasta
If you'd like to prep ahead this pasta salad the day before cook the pasta and rinse under cold water, drizzle with oil and shake well to coat the pasta. The oil stops the pasta from sticking together. Dice the veggies and make the dressing and store all of the elements in separate containers until you're ready to serve. Toss together to serve.
Some more lunch recipes from the blog
Step-by-Step Guide in Pictures
- Chop up all the salad items
- Add the cooked pasta, tofu and beans to a bowl
- Add the salad items
- Blend all of the dressing ingredients
- The dressing is done
- Add the dressing to the bowl
- Mix well
- Serve and enjoy
High protein pasta salad
Ingredients
- 100 g Cannellini beans
- 250 g Tofu
- 100 g High protein pasta
- ½ cucumber
- Handful of spinach
- ½ spring onion
For the dressing
- 2 tbsp Vegan mayo
- 70 g Silken tofu
- Bunch Basil
- 1 clove Garlic
- ½ Lemon
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 Spring onion
- 2 tbsp Nutritional yeast
- Handful Spinach
Instructions
- Cook the pasta to packet instructions and rinse thoroughly with cold water to stop the cooking process and leave to sit in water whilst you prep the salad. (this will stop it from sticking together).
- Add all of the dressing ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Add water if needed to thin the dressing.
- Dice the cucumber, slice the spring onion thinly and chop up the spinach and add to a large salad bowl.
- Crumble the block of tofu into the bowl.
- Add the dressing and mix well.
- Enjoy!
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2 responses to “High Protein Pasta Salad”
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Hi Abbie, this is absolutely delicious. I doubled everything so made enough for two meals…for me, only!!! My wife had a taste of the dressing before I added it to everything and was blown away by it. So much going on and full of goodness. Thanks for posting this recipe.-
Hey Brendan!
This makes me so happy to read! thankyou for sharing 🙂
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