The other night Alex made Larson and me a “throw together” dinner with odds and ends from our pantry and refrigerator. Pasta, various veggies, and crunchy romaine lettuce came together into an Italian vegan pasta salad that was like eating pasta and salad all at once! Not only was it delicious, the romaine and veggies helped us take our time and be satisfied eating less pasta overall. After I tasted it, I knew we had to create an “official” recipe for it here on A Couple Cooks. A weeknight healthy vegan dinner recipe, this simple pasta salad features an Italian dressing and ingredients with big flavor: Kalamata olives, capers, and pepperoncini. Keep reading for the recipe!
How to make vegan pasta salad
This vegan pasta salad is full of flavor. With no meat or dairy, the vegan Italian ingredients have to carry the weight. This pasta with Kalamata olive and capers is dressed simply with olive oil, so there’s no overwhelming dressing flavor. It’s all about the Italian ingredients here! Here are the essential ingredients in this pasta salad:
Pasta: You can use any shape of short pasta you like: fusilli or bow ties would work well too. Kalamata olives: The Kalamata variety really carries the flavor with its briny, salty punch. If you’re not an olive fan, you may have to add additional salt to make up for the flavor. Capers: What are capers? Capers are berries from a caper bush that are served pickled; you’ll find them sold in small, thin jars. Capers add a salty, tangy flavor to Mediterranean style dishes. In this vegan pasta salad, they add just the right savory, salty flavor. Pepperoncini: To up the tangy factor and make this pasta salad reminiscent of Italian chopped salad, we’ve also added sliced jarred pepperoncini. Romaine hearts: Pasta salad with romaine lettuce? Yes! Chunks of crunchy romaine hearts break up the pasta and make it incredibly refreshing. It’s like eating your salad course and pasta course at the same time.
Looking for more capers recipes?
Looking for more recipes with capers? Here are a few of our faves.
Paprika Goat Cheese Spread Creamy Vegan Pasta Marinara
Looking for more vegan dinner recipes?
Outside of this vegan pasta salad, here are some of our favorite vegan dinner recipes:
Chickpea Couscous Bowls with Tahini Sauce Vegan Pesto Pasta Vegan Corn Chowder Masoor Dal (Indian Red Lentils) Mediterranean Quinoa Stuffed Peppers Perfect Vegan Black Bean Burger Very Veggie Vegan Pizza “Can’t Believe It’s Vegan” Spaghetti & Meatballs Moroccan Cauliflower Soup Loaded Quinoa Tacos Best Stir Fry Vegetables with Teriyaki Avocado & Chickpea Salad Herb infused Cucumber Water Easy Vegan Recipes for Beginners
This recipe is…
This Italian vegan pasta salad recipe is vegetarian, vegan, plant based, refined sugar free, and naturally sweet. 5 from 1 review **Some pepperoncini come as whole peppers; look for sliced jarred, or thinly slice the whole peppers yourself.
