Easy Dairy Free Pasta Salad
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We love to make pasta salad because it is so easy and goes well with so many dishes. We have a few different pasta salad recipes, but I usually come back to this one because it is so simple and flexible.
This pasta salad is a favorite of the adults and older kids in our family, but I’ve noticed that most younger kids do not love vinegar or vinegar based dressings. If you are making this and want to make it more friendly for a younger child, you could separate some of the pasta salad out before adding the dressing (that’s what we do), and season it with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Easy Dairy Free Pasta Salad
This pasta salad is so easy and can be made with store-bought Italian salad dressing and any of your favorite vegetables. We usually use Wishbone Italian or Kraft Zesty Italian for the dressing. It can be made with any egg free noodles (we use DeCecco or Garafalo). I also like to make it with whole grain noodles so it is more filling. The best tasting whole grain Rotini I've found is Trader Joe's Quinoa and Brown Rice Rotini, which also happens to be gluten free. It tastes very similar traditional pasta compared to other whole grain options. This recipe is so flexible, you can substitute any vegetables or add or take away vegetables depending on your preference. Whatever goes into this pasta salad depends on what is in my refrigerator at the moment. Sometimes we serve cubes of cheddar or mozzarella cheese on the side so our dairy-eaters can add it to their salads. The amount of salad dressing can also be adjusted. If you prefer it more mild, use closer to 1 cup dressing, but if you prefer a stronger taste, add 1 1/2 cups, or more if desired. This pasta salad tastes best if it sits in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
Ingredients
- 1 package egg free rotini pasta (We use Trader Joe's Quinoa and Brown Rice Rotini which is both whole grain and gluten free, Garafalo Rotini, or DeCecco Fusilli)
- 1-1/2 cups dairy-free Italian Dressing (We use Wishbone Italian, or Kraft Zesty Italian)
- 10.5 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 cups broccoli crowns, cut into bite size pieces
- 1/4 cup diced red onions, or sliced green onions
- 1/2 cup red or orange bell pepper, diced
- optional sliced olives, diced cucumbers, peas, or other vegetables
Instructions
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Cook pasta according to directions. Drain. Rinse with cold water.
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Add pasta and vegetables to a large bowl. Pour Italian dressing over pasta and mix together.
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Cover and let sit in the refrigerator 3 hours. You can eat the pasta salad sooner, but it tastes best if it has a chance to cool and to absorb the flavors.
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Toss again before serving. Add more dressing if desired.