Vegan Fresh Italian Pasta Salad
This is the kind of crowd-pleasing pasta salad that disappears fast at any gathering — and every single ingredient in it happens to be completely plant-based without any workarounds or substitutions needed. Rotini spirals are the perfect shape here, catching all that garlicky red wine vinaigrette in their little grooves so every bite is deeply flavored. The mix of halved cherry tomatoes, crisp cucumber, smoky roasted red peppers, briny Kalamata olives, and tangy pepperoncini rings gives you bold Italian deli flavor without a drop of dairy or meat in sight. Tossing the pasta with two-thirds of the vinaigrette before chilling is the move — it gives the noodles time to absorb all that oregano-and-garlic goodness, and the reserved dressing gets drizzled on right before serving to wake everything back up. Fresh torn basil and chopped flat-leaf parsley added at the end keep the herbs bright and fragrant rather than wilted. It serves six comfortably, making it an ideal make-ahead option for potlucks, meal prep, or a weeknight side that actually gets better as it sits in the fridge.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
For the salad
- 12 oz dry rotini pasta
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup english cucumber, diced into ½-inch pieces
- 1 cup jarred roasted red peppers, drained and sliced
- ½ cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
- ½ cup pepperoncini, sliced into rings
- ¼ cup red onion, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, torn
- 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
For the vinaigrette
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
- ⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add 1 tbsp salt, then cook the rotini according to package directions until al dente — tender with a slight resistance at the center, about 8–10 minutes.
- 2
Drain the pasta in a colander and rinse under cold running water until completely cool to the touch. Shake off excess water and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
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