Low Cost Vegan Summer Pasta Salad

It’s too dang hot to cook in this summer heat! This recipe is inspired by my pregnancy craving for pasta salad and the freshest produce in-season!

I was impressed by how many meals I could squeeze out of this recipe and how affordable it was to make! For our family of 3, this entire recipe fed us for 3 days- dinner, lunch/lunch box, and dinner again! The full recipe cost $36. When I divided it by meal and mouth, it came out to only $4 per meal per person! Impressive, right!?

I love pasta salads because they're so versatile and virtually fool -proof. Please feel free to adjust the recipe to your preference by adding or subtracting ingredients or even changing the dressing.

This is an awesome recipe for a large party, so consider yourself cookout-ready!

Ingredients

  • 1 lb dry pasta, cooked

  • 2 Persian cucumbers, sliced

  • 3 vine ripen tomatoes, diced

  • 2 ears of roasted corn kernels off the cob or 1 1/2 cup corn canned or frozen

  • 1 cup fresh broccoli florets, chopped

  • 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

  • 1 large roasted red bell pepper, diced

  • 1 large avocado, diced

  • 1/2 cup kalamata olives, diced

  • 1/2 cup of canned artichoke hearts, chopped

  • 1 can of chickpeas, rinsed

  • 1/2 cup Greek Dressing (I use Primal Kitchen)

  • 2 tbsp dried oregano

  • Salt and pepper to taste


Instructions

  1. Cook pasta according to instructions, drain and rinse with cool water, and pour into an extra large serving bowl.

  2. If roasting corn, place corn in husks on a baking sheet in a very shallow bed of water (0.5 cm) and bake in the oven at 350F for 30-35 min.

  3. Prep/chop all the veggies, adding to pasta bowl.

  4. Drain and rinse chickpeas, then add to pasta bowl.

  5. When corn is done, peel back husks and cut corn off the cob, then add to pasta bowl.

  6. Pour dressing over pasta salad and mix well.

  7. Season with oregano, pepper and salt to taste.

  8. Store in refrigerator. Serve chilled.

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