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Dairy-Free Pesto Pasta Salad
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Plant-Based Pesto Pasta Salad

Whole grain pasta salad with a colorful mix of veggies. Flavorful pesto made with tofu and no oil or dairy. Simply blend pesto, cook pasta, mix and enjoy!
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Italian
Diet Vegan, Vegetarian
Keyword basil, oil-free pasta salad, pasta salad, pesto, plant-based pasta salad
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chilling Time 1 minute
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 12 servings
Calories 149kcal

Ingredients

Pesto

  • 2 cups fresh basil
  • 1/4 cup raw walnuts
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • 1 lemon, juiced or 2 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 block tofu, drained (8 oz) firm or extra-firm
  • 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
  • ground black pepper to taste

Salad

  • 12 oz whole grain pasta cooked per package instructions
  • 1 cup broccoli, chopped
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
  • 1 cup red onions, diced
  • 1 cup bell pepper, diced yellow or orange

Instructions

  • Place all pesto ingredients in a food processor, blend until smooth. 
    2 cups fresh basil, 1/4 cup raw walnuts, 1/4 cup nutritional yeast, 5 garlic cloves, 1 lemon, juiced, 1/2 block tofu, drained (8 oz), 1/2 tsp salt, ground black pepper
  • Cook pasta per package instructions. Drain. 
    12 oz whole grain pasta
  • Add all salad ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Add pesto and mix until combine. 
    1 cup broccoli, chopped , 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered, 1 cup red onions, diced , 1 cup bell pepper, diced, 12 oz whole grain pasta
  • Refrigerate at least 1 hour prior to serving. 

Notes

We used brown rice & quinoa fusilli pasta from Trader Joe's.