Strength and Sunshine

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Summer Veggie Pasta Salad

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Summer isn’t complete without the pasta salad! This gluten-free, allergy-friendly, vegan pasta salad is packed with bright summer veggies and tossed with a zesty Italian oil-free dressing. A classic made healthy and safe for everyone to enjoy at any summer cook-out!

Summer Veggie Pasta Salad | Strength and Sunshine @RebeccaGF666 Summer isn't complete without the pasta salad! This gluten-free, allergy-friendly, vegan pasta salad is packed with bright summer veggies and tossed with a zesty Italian oil-free dressing. A classic made healthy and safe for everyone to enjoy at any summer cook-out!

As you can tell by this blog (if you’ve been reading for awhile), is that I rarely, well okay, never, eat pasta. It’s just not my thing, regardless of Celiac Disease. Growing up, I was a little girl who loved and adored her pasta. All shapes, sizes, dishes, everything. In more recent years, pasta had absolutely no appeal to me. I’m still not 100% about it, but for some reason I was craving that classic boxed pasta salad mix my mom used to make years ago. Just soft tri-colored spirals with those red pepper pieces, awesome Italian dressing, and I think my mom would throw in a can of olives as well to jazz it up.

Summer Veggie Pasta Salad | Strength and Sunshine @RebeccaGF666 Summer isn't complete without the pasta salad! This gluten-free, allergy-friendly, vegan pasta salad is packed with bright summer veggies and tossed with a zesty Italian oil-free dressing. A classic made healthy and safe for everyone to enjoy at any summer cook-out!

I could remember it being one of my favorite things! Cold, delicious, Italian pasta salad. Not exactly healthy or gluten-free though. So I listened to my pasta craving and decided to try my hand at my own amp-ed up veggie version. Might I say, I think I nailed it with this one! Nailed it so much, I may just enjoy pasta again every now and then.

Summer Veggie Pasta Salad | Strength and Sunshine @RebeccaGF666 Summer isn't complete without the pasta salad! This gluten-free, allergy-friendly, vegan pasta salad is packed with bright summer veggies and tossed with a zesty Italian oil-free dressing. A classic made healthy and safe for everyone to enjoy at any summer cook-out!

The first step was finding the perfect gluten-free pasta. None of this grain-free alternative stuff. I needed some real quality Fusilli pasta. One that would hold up when cooked, not get like soggy mush, and taste like the real deal. What did I end up choosing? My new go-to pasta brand, TruRoots. I had used their pasta for a recipe over winter break and had good results, so when I saw they had some beautiful Ancient Grain Fusilli, I had high hopes. It’s made with organic quinoa, amaranth, brown rice, and corn.

Summer Veggie Pasta Salad | Strength and Sunshine @RebeccaGF666 Summer isn't complete without the pasta salad! This gluten-free, allergy-friendly, vegan pasta salad is packed with bright summer veggies and tossed with a zesty Italian oil-free dressing. A classic made healthy and safe for everyone to enjoy at any summer cook-out!

My, this pasta held up so well! Not mushy or soggy, perfectly soft, yet al dente, and tasted like some damn good pasta. It can be rough finding a good gluten-free pasta…really rough. Sometimes, down right scary, but this pasta had a wonderful flavor and texture. You can say, I’m a fan! (No, this post is not sponsored…I just really like TruRoot’s pasta!) And you get the added bonus of eating pure whole grains, and not some cheap rice or gmo corn pasta with added preservatives and stripped of nutrition. You know, the empty-calorie pasta.

Summer Veggie Pasta Salad | Strength and Sunshine @RebeccaGF666 Summer isn't complete without the pasta salad! This gluten-free, allergy-friendly, vegan pasta salad is packed with bright summer veggies and tossed with a zesty Italian oil-free dressing. A classic made healthy and safe for everyone to enjoy at any summer cook-out!

Now, the next hurdle I had to overcome, was the dressing situation. Soy, gluten, sodium, sugar, who know’s what in the classic. But of course I had faith that I could make my own stellar dressing. (Condiment Queen here!) I went to my spice cabinet and gathered every Italian herb I could think of. Then my trusty Pompeian red wine vinegar and we were in business. I usually don’t cook it added oil in my dishes, so this dressing is oil-free. Just vinegar, herbs, and spices.

After that, It was just time to choose the best pasta salad veggies. I added them all, cucumber, bell pepper, corn, broccoli, tomato, red onion, mushrooms, olives. It’s packed and delicious! See for yourself!

Summer Veggie Pasta Salad

Summer Veggie Pasta Salad | Strength and Sunshine @RebeccaGF666 Summer isn't complete without the pasta salad! This gluten-free, allergy-friendly, vegan pasta salad is packed with bright summer veggies and tossed with a zesty Italian oil-free dressing. A classic made healthy and safe for everyone to enjoy at any summer cook-out!

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Summer Veggie Pasta Salad

Summer isn’t complete without the pasta salad! This gluten-free, allergy-friendly, vegan pasta salad is packed with bright summer veggies and tossed with a zesty Italian oil-free dressing. A classic made healthy and safe for everyone to enjoy at any summer cook-out!

  • Author: Rebecca Pytell
  • Yield: 6 1x
  • Category: Side Dish, Pasta, Salad
  • Cuisine: American, Italian
Scale

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Cook pasta according to directions. I did the full 8 minutes. Then drain the pasta, but DO NOT rinse it. Simply set it aside in a colander while you prep your veggies.
  2. In a very large mixing bowl, combine the pasta, all veggies, lemon zest, and parsley.
  3. In a small bowl, combine the spices and herbs and whisk together with the vinegar and lemon juice.
  4. Pour the dressing over the pasta salad and stir everything to combine and get coated.
  5. Serve right away at room temperature, or refrigerate for later. Pasta salad should be served room temperature, not freezing cold, not warm and hot, but just so. Enjoy!

Summer Veggie Pasta Salad | Strength and Sunshine @RebeccaGF666 Summer isn't complete without the pasta salad! This gluten-free, allergy-friendly, vegan pasta salad is packed with bright summer veggies and tossed with a zesty Italian oil-free dressing. A classic made healthy and safe for everyone to enjoy at any summer cook-out!

I had this pasta salad two days in a row (of course leftovers are the best!) and I just adore it more and more. I’m not joking when I tell you this tastes like my childhood…but better if I do say so myself 😉 Now everyone, even me, can enjoy a healthy allergy-free pasta salad at every summer cook-out! My brother, a total gluten-eater, even ate and enjoyed this! So that means just nix the gluten pasta salad entirely and just make this safe dish for everyone! Don’t tell them and see if anyone notices. (They won’t, trust me!) If you make this for a cook-out or BBQ, let me know what everyone thinks! I guarantee it will be an all-around crowd-pleaser and will become a new classic and staple dish!

So tell me:

+ Are you a fan of pasta salad? I think I need to make a healthy macaroni salad next. You know, the creamy super unhealthy, but delicious one!

+ What’s your favorite summer cookout dish? Gotta love potato salad! Which I have a killer recipe I’ll be sharing soon! It will blow your mind!

*Recipe linking up for the week! Allergy Free Wednesdays, #RecipeOfTheWeek,#StrangeButGood, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Real Food Friday, Gluten-Free Fridays,Tasty Tuesdays, Savoring Saturdays, Healthy Vegan Fridays, Tasty Tuesdays, Meatless Mondays, Lena’s Tasty Tuesdays!*


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Comments

  1. Jen says

    This is the perfect salad for me to bring to the picnic at the park we are having on the weekend! We’re all bringing something healthy and I’m in charge of the salads 🙂

    Reply

  5. kimmythevegan says

    I wasn’t really into pasta salad growing up. I think it’s because I always thought the dressing was kinda gross. But your homemade dressing sounds super delicious! This is such a perfect summer potluck dish =)
    Thanks for sharing at HVF! I’m pinning this recipe!

    Reply

  7. Deborah Davis says

    Hi Rebecca,
    I can’t wait to make this healthy and delicious Summer Veggie Pasta Salad for our Summer festivities! Of course, with yummy ingredients like these, I will be making and eating these quite often.

    Reply

  8. Creatively Homespun says

    Yum! This would be a great addition to my “potluck” contribution list!!! 🙂 It so hard to find good pasta salads that my Little One can have.. this is perfect! Love all these Paleo Foods!! 🙂 You AMAZE me every week!!

    Reply

  15. Sherry says

    I love pasta salad! I usually make mine all veggie but sometimes I add a little cheese. My favorite cookout dish is deviled eggs, macaroni salad, cole slaw, potato salad…:-)

    Reply

    • Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says

      This one will blow your mind! Really, I don’t even like pasta, but this was so good AND it was amazing the next day…and the next!

      Reply

  21. Julie is HostessAtHeart says

    What a beautiful salad. I just love all of those crunchy veggies with pasta and a flavorful vinaigrette. It is just perfect for those meals where you don’t want to use the stove, and perfect for entertaining!

    Reply

  24. Lisa @ RunWiki says

    I can’t think of a better way to fuel my long run than a salad like this. I love all of the fresh summer veggies we have right now and pairing them with an al dente pasta is heaven in a bowl. Pinned for later!

    Reply

  25. Michelle @ Vitamin Sunshine says

    I’ve always hated mayo– so the creamy macaroni and potato salads were out for me. My aunt used to make a veggie pasta salad like this one– and I continued to make it until I had to cut gluten out. I recently tried to make one like this using a quinoa pasta, and while it was great on day 1, the pasta got hard and dried out by 2, and inedible by day 3. Did the brand you suggested hold up better to a few days?

    Reply

  28. Melissa @ vegan does it says

    I love this! I have memories of those boxed pasta salads at nearly every picnic or barbecue we had growing up. Mom always added olives to ours too. This looks great and I will definitely have to try it soon!

    Reply

  35. Laura says

    I love how loaded with veggies this salad is, and the dressing looks delicious:) Dressings made with vinegar and herbs are my fave – a little tangy and not oily at all. Looks good:)

    Reply

    • Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says

      I ADORE vinegars and have like 50 bottles in my pantry at all times! But I do love just flavoring up a simple plain one with loads of herbs!

      Reply

  41. sue says

    What would summer be without a Pasta Salad and this one looks so colourful and delicious. Thanks for sharing with us at #AnythingGoes

    Reply

  42. Harriet Emily says

    Omg I am LOVING this pasta salad, Rebecca! It’s not a summer for me without pasta salad, and this looks soooooo delicious – that dressing sounds absolutely amazing, yum!!

    Reply

  43. Sam @ PancakeWarriors says

    I’ve been craving pasta salad too! Oh thanks for the heads up on the gluten free pasta, I’m seriously so sketchy of gluten free pasta – it can be a bit gummy 🙁 This looks like it’s amazing though! Yay for no bottled dressing!

    Reply

  48. Heather Serra says

    This is great! I have a few pot-luck picnics I’ll have to make this for. My sister-in-law is gluten free so my family & I are always looking for different recipes we can make for her. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  52. Angela says

    This looks really good! I always like to have a pasta salad on the ready (or at least the ingredients) it makes for a quick lunch when I’m short on time in the morning!

    Reply

  55. Heather / girlichef says

    You know what? I’ve been craving that creamy unhealthy pasta salad for a while now…but I haven’t had it in YEARS, so I think I’ll just go ahead and make some. However, I’d love to add your summer veggie pasta salad to the menu, as well – it looks incredible!

    Reply

  57. Natalie @ Feasting on Fruit says

    Pasta seems to be another thing we agree on! If it’s sitting in front of me or deliciously staring me in the face in the form of a colorful pasta salad I’ll eat it, but it’s rarely my carb of choice. I ate it a lot as a kid too–those tri-colored spirals that always made me think I was getting my servings of veggies 😀 haha

    Even if I don’t pasta very often, this looks like a splendid way to enjoy it! I’m used to tomatoes and broccoli in pasta salad, but the mushrooms are a fantastic idea! Simple, summer, yum 🙂

    Reply

    • Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says

      Right!? I mean, I was a pasta every day kinda little girl, but now…I really just…don’t. Haha!
      So I was surprised by this amazing dish!
      Mushrooms are always a good addition 😉
      Thanks dear! XOXO

      Reply

  60. Sheryl says

    Rebecca, that looks AMAZING! Your blog is great. I enjoy your posts. Have you checked out Freedible? It is an online allergy community. You can post blogs, recipes, connect with others who suffer from similar issues, etc. I stumbled upon it a few months back. It is still in BETA mode, but it is WONDERFUL! Here is my link: http://www.freedible.com/go-to-profile/ Let me know what you think. 🙂

    Reply

  64. Dietitian Jess says

    Pasta is definitely one of my favorite foods and something I grew up eating… especially mom’s homemade Italian pasta salad! This sounds like a bite of nonstalgia 🙂

    Reply

  65. Amber says

    I never even liked pasta salad, but this is making me drool and want it so bad! and oMG I am SO with you, I used to lOVE LOVE LOVE pasta growing up, since being diagnosed, the appeal has been lost to me, maybe cause it’s tough finding a “real deal” version, cause as you said, most are mush and don’t hold up!
    love that you listened to your cravings, tweeting this to share now!

    Reply

    • Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says

      You’ve GOT TO try this! I mean…I really don’t like pasta, but this was like heaven!

      Reply

  66. Debbie says

    I love pasta salad! I don’t have any problems with gluten but the last time I made one I did use gluten free pasta. I love that you can use a variety of veggies and it’s always so good. I did us oil though 🙂

    Reply

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Hey there, welcome to Strength and Sunshine! I’m Rebecca and I’m so glad you’re here! This is your go-to destination for delicious, fun, and (mostly) healthy gluten-free and allergy-free recipes, tips & tricks, advice, as well as celiac and food allergy coaching services!

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