Name: Vegan Italian Salad
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 250g shell type pasta (I used conchiglie pasta made from durum wheat semolina here); 1/2 tsp turmeric; Extra virgin olive oil; 10 pitted green olives, chopped and crushed; 5 sun-dried tomatoes; 5 Kalamata Greek olives, chopped and crushed; 10 rainbow mix baby tomatoes; 1 1/2 " cucumber cut into small pieces; 5 broccoli florets; Balsamic vinegar glaze; Salt and pepper to taste

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Vegan Italian Pasta Salad

This vegan Italian salad recipe is for a cold pasta salad that is flavoured with olives, tomatoes, broccoli, and cucumber. It is dressed with a vegan Italian dressing of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

This recipe is quick to make and can be kept in the fridge for several days if you wish to make it up front.

I was inspired to make this recipe after tasting some ready-made pasta salad from Dunnes stores, which had been made with orecchiette pasta. Super tasty and I partly tried to copy it here.

Which pasta type to use?

I have looked around for some orecchiette pasta locally but have not been able to source any, unfortunately. They are smallish pieces of pasta shaped like an ear, hence the name. But I think this cold vegan pasta salad works well with any shell-type pasta you can find.

In these photos, I have used conchiglie pasta, which is actually shaped like a shell. But you could use orecchiette, chiocciole, cavatelli, or lumache pasta types if you wish.

The shell bowl shape is great for retaining the vegan Italian dressing of olive oil and balsamic vinegar glaze.

For the balsamic vinegar, I like to use a Crema with ‘Aceto Balsamico di Moderna IGP’ which is a thick and reduced balsamic vinegar glaze. It always adds something special to a salad I think.

Why a vegan salad?

This easy vegan pasta salad does not have to be vegan – I am sure the salad I tried from Dunnes had small pieces of chicken in it.

But sometimes it is good to have a break from meat and when I made this, it was just the right time. But feel free to try this with some tuna or chicken pieces mixed in if you need your protein.

Vegan Italian Salad

When the sun is shining this is a great meal to enjoy alfresco at any time of the day, lunch or dinner.

Or even as a snack between meals. You can keep it in the fridge for a few days and eat when you are hungry. Just mix it up again and toss it together before serving up.

Or you can serve it up as a side salad to the main course. It is up to you.

Or maybe you just want a vegan meal delivered to your door? Then why not try these guys:

If you do try and make this recipe, please let me know how you get on in the comments section below!

How to prepare a Vegan Italian Salad

Vegan Italian Salad

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

This delicious vegan Italian salad with shell pasta takes less than 15 minutes to make and is super healthy. Keep it fresh in the fridge.

Ingredients

250g shell type pasta (I used conchiglie pasta made from durum wheat semolina here)
1/2 tsp turmeric
Extra virgin olive oil
10 pitted green olives, chopped and crushed
5 sun-dried tomatoes
5 Kalamata Greek olives, chopped and crushed
10 rainbow mix baby tomatoes
1 1/2 " cucumber cut into small pieces
5 broccoli florets
Balsamic vinegar glaze
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Boil some water in a saucepan, add a pinch of salt and the turmeric, a splash of olive oil and the pasta. Cook for the time recommended by the manufacturer (probably around 10 minutes). Then drain off and allow to cool in the fridge.
Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables. Wash where necessary. Then prepare the broccoli florets and cut them into the smallest florets. Then steam them in the microwave for 3 minutes and let them cool.
In the meantime chop the olives and crush them with a mortar and pestle. Chop the sun-dried tomatoes and the baby tomatoes.
Slice the cucumber into small pieces. Add everything to a large bowl.
When the pasta has cooled, add to the bowl and mix everything well together by hand.
Then add salt and pepper and extra virgin olive oil to taste, before tossing together to cover all the pasta in dressing. Add balsamic vinegar to the pasta before serving.
Alternatively, if you have your own oil and balsamic vinegar bottles on the table, allow your diners to add their own salt, balsamic vinegar and olive oil to their own bowls.

Notes

Serve as an appetizer, side salad or even as a main dish when dining al fresco.

Vegan Italian Salad