Easy Vegan Pasta Salad is a healthy side dish recipe to bring to any potluck, picnic, cookout or grill out.

My mom has been making this pasta salad for years. She would always make it for company when we were hosting cookouts in the summer. It is definitely a crowd favorite. It's light and refreshing, and packed with unexpected flavors like toast pine nuts and sweet sun-dried tomatoes (one of my favorite combos). Not to mention artichoke hearts, black olives, and homemade balsamic vinaigrette make this a hearty side dish (I eat it as a main dish sometimes!) . A healthy handful if fresh basil makes this salad ideal for any summer gathering. Yum!

Easy Vegan Pasta Salad

Author: The Hungry Waitress
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 8 1x

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Description

Easy Vegan Pasta Salad is a healthy side dish recipe to bring to any potluck, picnic, cookout or grill out.

Ingredients

Scale

1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 lb rigatoni, cooked in salted boiling water and drained (follow package instructions)
14 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 cup oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 cup black olives
6 oz fresh spinach (usually one bag)
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

Optional NON VEGAN Ingredients:

Feta Cheese
Prosciutto

Instructions

Whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and minced garlic in a small bowl.
Toss the prepared dressing, cooked pasta, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, black olives, spinach, and pine nuts in a large bowl.
Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Notes

This pasta salad does not need any added salt in my opinion, but feel free to add salt and pepper to your taste! The salad will stay fresh for a few hours, but it is still delicious the next day (even though the spinach wilts).

For a crowd I would serve it ASAP.