Whip up this Vegan Oil Free Greek Pasta Salad recipe full of Mediterranean flavors in just 30 minutes for a family-style meal everyone will rave about. Perfect for dinner, potlucks, or picnics!
I’ve always been a fan of pasta salads and especially love to enjoy them during summer when spending a lot of time over the stove just doesn’t sound like much fun. Plus, pasta salad makes a fantastic dish to take on picnics and to share with friends and family at a cookout. Not to mention it’s one of the easiest meals to whip up when you want to impress a large crowd without making a big mess in the kitchen or spending a lot of money.
Pasta salad is also one of my family’s favorite “family-style” recipes we’ve relied on for years to please a large crowd. We enjoy making a huge batch and then letting everyone dip out however much pasta salad that they’d like. I’ve given one of our family’s go-to pasta salads a healthy twist by making it not only dairy-free, but also oil-free and vegan. Don’t let that fool you, though; this Vegan Oil Free Greek Pasta Salad is creamy, full of flavor, and has a great texture without being heavy one little bit!
Vegan Oil Free Greek Pasta Salad Recipe
My Vegan Oil Free Greek Pasta Salad recipe is made with whole grain, organic wheat pasta which is not only flavorful, but also affordable and pleasing to anyone, even those who aren’t enthusiastic about eating healthy pasta. This recipe is also made with heart-healthy black olives, green lima beans (chickpeas would also work great here), and flat leaf Italian parsley. Roma tomatoes, fresh summer cucumbers, a few Italian herbs, and some fresh lemon juice add flavor and texture.
The tomatoes and lemon juice produce an amazingly tangy, yet sweet, dressing. This eliminates the need for added oils which can feel heavy with the pasta. I also like to serve this Vegan Oil Free Greek Pasta Salad with a few pine nuts or fresh almond slices, although those are totally optional ingredients. This salad isn’t just versatile and easy to make, it’s also perfect for large parties or cookouts. I like to serve our pasta salad in a trifle dish for a pretty touch, plus the dish is large enough to hold the entire batch. Just include a large serving spoon and everyone can dish out however much of this tasty pasta salad that they wish!
This Vegan Oil Free Greek Pasta Salad recipe requires that you boil the pasta for 8-10 minutes. Once you drain it and let it cool off for a few minutes, then you can toss in the lima beans and tomatoes. After that, it’s simply a matter of chilling it in the fridge for a bit before adding in the other ingredients. Anyone can make this recipe, and you can vary the type of summer produce, beans, and spices however you like. Or, change up the pasta by making it gluten-free; just use brown rice pasta instead of whole wheat.
Ingredients
- 1 pound organic whole wheat pasta, such as rotini pasta
- 4-5 Roma tomatoes, sliced and cubed (or you can use 1 large 29-ounce can of petite diced tomatoes, drained)
- 16 ounces of cooked lima beans or chickpeas (frozen and thawed, or canned)
- 1 small cucumber, washed and chopped into small pieces
- 1 15-ounce can low sodium black olives, drained
- 3 tbsp freshly minced flat-leaf Italian parsley
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tbsp dried basil (or a few leaves of fresh basil, minced)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Fresh cracked black pepper, optional
Instructions
- Bring a large stockpot full of 5 cups of water and a pinch of salt to a boil. Once a rapid boil is reached, add pasta and let it return to a boil. Cook on high for 8 minutes or until tender.
- Once the pasta is done, turn off the heat and drain the pasta in a large colander. Run it under very cold water for a few minutes to stop the cooking process. Drain then transfer to a very large bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, add in the tomatoes and beans of choice; toss well and combine thoroughly.
- Let this mixture sit in the fridge at least 10 minutes or overnight.
- Add in the remaining ingredients, toss well to coat. Serve as desired.
Notes
Home Chef Tip: For ease of use, I suggest using cooked, frozen beans versus cooking them from scratch. Leave the bag overnight in your fridge or on the counter an hour before adding them to the pasta. If you choose to use canned, buy low-sodium varieties and BPA-free cans as the healthiest option and drain before using.
We hope you love this delightful Vegan Oil Free Greek Pasta Salad recipe from SoFabFood Contributor, Heather from The Soulful Spoon, as much as we do. If you like this recipe, be sure to stop by our Lunch section for even more like it. Don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter so that you never miss a single recipe, and be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Pinterest for even more fabulous salad recipes. Enjoy!
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