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
4
servings15
minutesA pasta salad, packed with flavour and one that actually can be had as a meal in itself.
Ingredients
1/2 cup of broccoli florets1/2 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
Avocado Pasta Salad
I tried out this amazing Avocado Pasta Salad over the weekend and it was a big hit. There is a little stove time involved to boil the pasta and to fry the bacon, but the end result is so good, I’d say it was well worth it. I can’t wait for the next potluck or picnic, because I know that this salad will make an appearance.
The dressing is an avocado based one and is super easy to make. If you have an immersion blender, you life will be even easier. If not, just use your regular blender and you’ll be sorted. Basically all the ingredients for the dressing get blitzed together and ta-da …. you have yourself a salad dressing. I love recipes that are as easy as this. The ingredient list for the salad is just an approximation of what I used. Feel free to adjust as needed.
Avocado Pasta Salad
Serves 4 (as Main Course)
2 cups uncooked Macaroni
1/4 onion, finely chopped (use a sweeter onion if you can’t stand the heat from a raw onion. You can also use a couple of spring onions, finely sliced)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup broccoli florets
1/2 cup boiled / roast chicken, shredded
1/2 cup corn kernels
1 avocado, diced
4 rashers of bacon, fried till crisp and chopped / crumbled
1/4-1/3 capsicum (I used green because thats all I had. You can use red or yellow too, or even a combination of them.)
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
For the dressing –
1 ripe avocado
Juice of 1/2 a lime
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander (use the leaves and the stalks)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
Salt, to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Boil the pasta till al dente, following the package instructions. Run under cold water to stop the cooking process and to cool the pasta down. Drain and set aside.
Blanch the broccoli florets in boiling, salted water till it is a vibrant green, about 30 seconds to a minute, depending on how crunchy you like your broccoli. Immediately drain and immerse the broccoli in ice cold water for a few seconds to stop the cooking process. Drain and keep aside.
In the same pot of boiling water, boil your sweet corn kernels till done. Drain and set aside.
Get your salad ingredients ready.
For the dressing, simply blitz all the ingredients together.
Toss the salad in the dressing and refrigerate for about 1 hour before serving.
Enjoy!!!
Pin now and try later!!!
