This Mediterranean-style vegan quinoa pasta salad is bursting with color, flavor and nutrients! Perfect for meal prep, cookouts and hot summer days.
You know it’s summer when everyone brings out pasta salads or potato salads!
Our vegan quinoa pasta salad with lots of Mediterranean add-ins offers an explosion of flavor and color that will keep everyone coming back for more.
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This colorful side dish features gluten-free pasta, protein-packed chickpeas, seasonal veggies, olives and creamy garlic yogurt dressing.
It’s a crowd-pleasing, family-friendly and approachable recipe that can easily be customized to your preferences!
Plus, this quinoa pasta salad stores well for days and can be made ahead of time! It’s the perfect summer salad for cold packable lunches, potlucks or parties.
Why you’ll love it
- Bursting with color, flavor & nutrition
- Scrumptious crowd-pleasing recipe
- Gluten-free & oil-free
- Healthy & satiating side dish
- Perfect for bringing to a BBQ
- Light, refreshing & chock-full of fresh veggies
You’ll just love the different textures in this healthy pasta salad with quinoa!
It’s even high in protein and fiber and will keep your guests coming back for more.
Ingredients needed
- Pasta — we like to use macaroni shapes but fusilli, penne or shells also work well.
- Quinoa — these little pseudo-grains add some plant-based protein and texture to your Mediterranean pasta salad!
- Artichoke & olives — briny and salty, these two add-ins offer so much flavor!
- Cucumber, tomatoes & bell pepper — crunchy seasonal veggies taste great in pasta salad.
- Chickpeas — adding lovely texture and plant-based protein!
- Dressing — easy 5-minute recipe consisting mainly of soy yogurt, garlic, tahini and some spices.
This combination of ingredients is really priceless and our quinoa pasta salad is usually one of the first dishes to be gone at any buffet.
In terms of equipment, you’ll need two pots, one small bowl, one big bowl, a chopping board, a knife and measuring equipment to make this recipe!
How to make quinoa pasta salad
Cook pasta
Using a medium-sized pot, cook your pasta according to package instructions. Once done, rinse under cold water and set aside.
Cook pasta
Cook quinoa in a separate pot according to package instructions. We like to use leftover quinoa for this salad!
Once all of the water has been absorbed, fluff it with a fork and set aside to cool.
Prepare the veggies
Measure, wash and chop the vegetables and other add-ins for the salad. Place them in a large bowl and top with chickpeas, quinoa and pasta.
Make the dressing
Whisk vegan yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, garlic and some spices in a small bowl until smooth.
Assemble the salad
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve immediately or cover with a lid and store in the fridge to serve chilled!
Storage tips
This vegan pasta salad can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Since pasta salads are usually meant to be enjoyed chilled, this recipe is perfect for making ahead of time so you can allow the flavors to marinate!
Before enjoying your stored and chilled quinoa pasta salad from the fridge, try to give it about 30 minutes to warm up at room temperature to wake up the flavors.
You might need to add a bit more dressing when storing for longer — salads sometimes dry out over time.
Serving suggestions
This hearty quinoa pasta salad is loaded with filling ingredients which means you can enjoy it as a main meal!
It’s also great as a side dish with freshly baked bread, bean burgers, sandwiches, wraps, coleslaw, corn on the cob or grilled tofu.
During fall and winter, we like to prepare warm pasta salads loaded with hearty beans, grilled veggies, pine nuts and avocado instead of making this chilled Mediterranean version with crunchy summer vegetables!
Tips & adjustments
- Don’t overcook your pasta, or this salad will be mushy!
- If using gluten-free pasta, you’ll have a firmer texture compared to wheat pasta.
- Leftover cooked pasta or quinoa can be used for this salad!
- Make this recipe during meal prep and store your pasta salad in individual food containers for quick to-go lunches.
Food swaps
- Pasta: choose gluten-free if needed or use wheat, whole grain, legume-based or spelt varieties. You can also omit the pasta and go for cooked quinoa only in this recipe!
- Quinoa: can be omitted or swapped for more pasta.
- Artichokes & olives: omit if you’re not a fan!
- Chickpeas: use white beans or tofu feta instead.
- Veggies: reduce or omit any components you don’t like.
- Basil: omit or use other herbs like oregano, parsley or mint.
More salad dressings
Use vegan mayo or sour cream to make a different dressing for this salad!
Other tasty ideas include a simple olive oil and vinegar vinaigrette, honey mustard, herbed ranch or date balsamic dressing.
Looking for more ideas? Feel free to browse our favorite oil-free vegan salad dressings here.
Optional add-ins
You can dress your quinoa pasta salad up any way you like! Here are some ideas for what else to add to this cold lunch.
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Pickles
- Avocado
- Corn
- Arugula
- Peas
- Grilled veggies
- Asparagus
- Green onion
- Carrots
More vegan salads
Check out the following recipes for more delicious and hearty salads!
Have you tried our Mediterranean vegan pasta salad and liked it? Share with us in the comments below and rate our recipe! You can also Pin it here.
Ingredients
- 7 oz macaroni pasta 200 g, gluten-free if needed
- ⅔ cup dry quinoa 115 g, rinsed
- 1 small cucumber cubed
- ½ can artichoke hearts in brine 120 g, drained
- 1 yellow bell pepper finely chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes 100 g, halved
- 1 cup black olive rings 130 g
- 1 cup canned chickpeas 165 g, drained
- 1 small red onion diced
- Vegan yogurt dressing to taste
- Fresh basil leaves to garnish
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, then drain and rinse the pasta under cold water. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, cook quinoa in a different pot until all of the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let cool while preparing the rest of the salad.
- Wash and chop your vegetables, then get a large bowl and combine all of the ingredients for your quinoa pasta salad.
- Make the quick garlicky vegan yogurt sauce by whisking together all of the ingredients in a bowl. Pour it over the salad and toss to combine.
- Garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve immediately or cover the salad with a lid and place it in the fridge for an hour. This allows the flavors to combine!
Notes
- Any type of short pasta, from wheat to corn, quinoa or legume-based, can be used for this Mediterranean salad.
- If you store the quinoa pasta salad for a couple of days, it’s possible that the dressing will become dry and you may need to add some more before serving and eating the salad.
- Chilled quinoa pasta salad should get around half an hour at room temperature to allow the flavors to “wake up” before serving.
Alena Schowalter is a Certified Vegan Nutritionist who has been a vegetarian since childhood and vegan since 2012. Together with her husband, she founded nutriciously in 2015 and has been guiding thousands of people through different transition stages towards a healthy plant-based diet. She’s received training in the fields of nutrition, music therapy and social work. Alena enjoys discussions around vegan ethics, walks through nature and creating new recipes.
Hey guys, I just made this and omg it’s amazing!! I used buckwheat instead of quinoa (I cooked it together with the pasta). This recipe is so versatile, I love the fact you can chuck in anything you want!! And that yogurt dressing, yummm! Well done, thank you!! :)
so happy you liked the recipe! thanks for taking the time to write this feedback, sounds great what you’ve done with the salad :)
Um, normal pastas are not vegan. Pasta contains eggs right?
most pasta is only made from wheat, not eggs. Usually, the more expensive brands also contain eggs. Easy to skim the ingredients list :)
I made double portion because I though one portion wouldn’t be enough for 5 people and I end up with a lot of leftovers. I used chickpea pasta…. Omgosh delicious plus you get 14 g of protein. The ranch sauce was yummy. One thing to mention is that it was bland the taste so I added more salt to the left over pasta and mix it up and has a better taste. Next time I will add more condiments to the ranch sauce (I didn’t add the tahini because I didn’t have it….. was this essential to give it a better flavor taste?) thank you for all your recipes. So far I have been enjoying them!!!
sounds great! yes, tahini definitely adds some taste and I personally don’t like my food very salty which is why the salad might have been a bit bland to you ;) go crazy on the condiments if you like!! thanks for the feedback.
Love the salad, i use peas in place of chickpeas. Would crumbled fet work in too?
sure, this would work too! happy you like the salad :) I sometimes add vegan feta!