Avocado Pasta Salad – the Plant based version

A pasta salad, packed with flavour and one that actually can be had as a meal in itself.

Now that the weather is warming up and Spring is well and truly on its way, I find myself craving a big ol’ bowl of salad for lunch. I have been working on building up a repository of salad recipes that actually work well for lunch. Very often, salads work great as a side on an accompaniment to a meal. But if eaten as a meal itself, I find myself hungry soon after. 

Today’s recipe for my Avocado Pasta salad is a hearty one. It leaves you filling satiated and full of energy for a while. I love salads  because they are so versatile and you can use whatever ingredients you have access to, and still end up with a really good salad. This salad is perfect for a work lunch or even to take to a potluck, a BBQ or a picnic. Whatever the occasion, even though this salad is plant-based, it is sure to please vegans and meat-eaters alike. I have shared the omni version of this salad before and it was a popular recipe then, so I figured it was time that I tried a plant-based version. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint. 

So, if like me, you can’t wait for summer to roll around, try this salad out. 

Avocado Pasta Salad

Recipe by Trisha Vaz
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

15

minutes
Cooking timeminutes

A pasta salad, packed with flavour and one that actually can be had as a meal in itself.

Ingredients


  • 1/2 cup of broccoli florets

  • 1/2 cup corn kernels

  • 2 cups uncooked macaroni

  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes

  • 1/4 red capsicum

  • 1/4 yellow capsicum

  • 2 spring onions

  • 1 can of red kidney beans

  • A little coconut bacon (optional)

  • For the dressing –
  • 1 ripe avocado

  • 1/2 cup plant coconut yogurt

  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

  • Salt, to taste

  • Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

  • Juice of 1/2 a lime

  • 1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves and stalks, roughly chopped

  • A pinch of hot cayenne pepper powder (or to taste)

Directions

  • Bring a pot of water to a boil, add some salt. Add the broccoli florets and cook for 30 seconds to a minute, or till its done to your liking. Drain the broccoli and reserve the cooking liquid.
  • To the same pot, add the corn kernels and let it cook till done. When it has cooked, scoop the corn out of the water and set aside.
  • Top off the pot of cooking liquid, add some more boiling water and when the water reaches a rolling boil, add the pasta. Cook till the pasta is done. Make sure the pasta is a little al dente and not overcooked. 
  • Drain the pasta and set aside. 
  • While the pasta is cooking, cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Dice the capsicum and thinly slice the spring onions.
  • Blitz all the dressing ingredients till it reaches a creamy consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.
  • In a large mixing bowl, place the cooked pasta, broccoli, corn, drained kidney beans and all the veggies. Add the dressing and gently toss to combine. If you’re using coconut bacon, add a little coconut bacon to the salad and mix through. 
  • Serve up and garnish with a little sprinkling of some more coconut bacon. 

    Enjoy!

Recipe Video