Vegan Recipe: Creamy Pasta Salad For Your Summer BBQ

|Updated Aug 31, 2021

@vegamelon

Are you wondering what you should bring to the backyard BBQ party? If so, make this creamy pasta salad with a southwestern twist everyone will love. This dish is a two-step recipe and will only take you 20 minutes to make. All you need to do is cook the pasta, add the fresh veggies and beans, and combine the sauce. Even though this recipe is a creamy pasta salad, it's actually creamless and 100% vegan and you won't even be able to tell the difference. Serve your pasta in a summery white bowl with a pinch of salt on top!

Recipe Developer: Lenny, @vegamelon

Why we love it: Pasta salad is a refreshing and filling summer dish that everyone loves. This recipe is made with veggies, a vegan cream sauce, and pasta--healthier than traditional pasta salads. Enjoy this recipe all summer long.

Make it for: A side dish you can bring to a party or make it for dinner. Kids especially love the taste of this pasta!

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Creamy Southwestern Pasta Salad

Serves 3 people

Ingredients

Pasta

8 oz pasta, cooked and drained
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 large ripe tomatoes, diced (or 2 cups cherry tomatoes)
1 cup cooked corn
1 1/2 cups black beans (or one 14-oz can)
Stalks green onion, sliced (or 1/2 cup chopped cilantro)
Optional: 1 avocado, sliced

Sauce:

1/3 cup vegan mayo or cream cheese
1 tsp chili powder or paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp onion powder
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
Salt and pepper + lime juice, to taste

Instructions

In a jar, whisk together the sauce ingredients; add some water if needed for a thinner consistency.
Combine with all the salad ingredients and toss well. Serve immediately.

31 Delicious, Plant-Based Recipes to Make on Repeat

Want fresh ideas for meals that are healthy, plant-based, and delicious? This free newsletter is for you. Sign up to get a recipe of the day delivered to your inbox every morning.

Lemon Artichoke Pasta Recipe

Lemon, Basil, and Artichoke Pasta to Enjoy For Spring

This signature spring pasta dish is loaded with citrus, sweetness, and nuttiness for a refreshing umami taste. The key is to use the freshest produce and quality olive oil. It has 6 grams of fiber and 13 grams of protein.

Vegan Coconut Cauliflower Curry Full of Anti-Inflammatory Superfoods

This bowl of chopped seasonal vegetables mixed with vegetable broth, coconut milk, curry powder, and turmeric powder is a tasty way to load up on nutrients and vitamins with powerful superfoods that have anti-inflammatory properties.

Spring Salad Recipe

Make This Nutrient-Packed Rice Bowl with Jicama and Brown Beans

If one of your goals is to eat more plant-based for your health, then delicious, nutrient-dense recipes like this one will help you inch closer to that goal. You'll see the difference by feeling energized and skip the post-meal nap.

How to Make Zooey Deschanel’s Vegan Caesar Salad with Roasted Chickpeas

This Caesar salad with vegan dressing is the invention of actress Zooey Deschanel, who eats a mostly plant-based diet and grows her own greens at home. She shares her secret for making the classic dressing as creamy and tangy as the real thing.

Vegan Bruschetta Pasta Salad

What better way to get into the mood for spring than with a light and fresh Bruschetta Pasta Salad? This recipe is loaded with fresh ingredients like tomatoes, red onions, and basil that go perfectly together.

Sweet and Sour Shaved Cauliflower and Fennel Salad

This sweet and sour shaved cauliflower and fennel salad has the perfect combination of acid, sweetness, and savory flavors with fresh lemon, fruits, salty pistachios. The dressing has maple syrup to counter the bitter fennel. It's a spring delight.

How to make a vegan chickpea salad bowl

Make This Chickpea and Avocado Grain Bowl With Creamy Tahini Dressing

If eating a salad feels like a chore, then hold the fork: We completely upgraded your ordinary lettuce and vegetables into a warm bowl with textured vegetables, beans, and grain of your choosing, such as quinoa, farro, or brown rice.

GF and Vegan Recipe: Buckwheat Pancakes with Caramelized Maple Peaches

Adding to your menu this weekend: Buckwheat pancakes with caramelized maple peaches or fresh fruit of your choice, the complete perfect breakfast for a Sunday morning.

Healthy Recipe: Potato and Chickpea Salad Topped With Crunchy Hazelnuts

Hey potato lovers, you'll really love this one! This potato and chickpea salad recipe has the perfect amount of citrus, fresh herbs, crunchy and sweet hazelnuts, and a light touch of olive oil to become your go-to side dish from now on

Asian-Inspired Crispy 5-Spice Tofu Lettuce Wraps With Cabbage Slaw

In this Asian-inspired recipe, you will be using traditional ingredients that are commonly used in Asian cuisine but with no meat or dairy. This Crispy 5 Spice Tofu Lettuce Wraps With a Noodle Cabbage Slaw recipe is restaurant-quality and your guests will have no idea that this dish is plant-based

Zooey Deschanel Shares Her Secret Pesto Recipe She Adds to Pasta, Salad, & More

Today's Recipe of the Day is Zooey's famous dairy-free pesto that she puts on almost everything: Pasta, salad, soup, and more, adding a boost of flavor to simple dishes. This delicious sauce calls for using fresh herbs since it makes a big difference in texture and taste.

Black Pepper Tofu With Rice and Broccolini

This Black Pepper Tofu can be whipped up in 30 minutes, making it the perfect last-minute meal, packed with protein. Cook it in large batches, and keep in the fridge for an easy weekday lunch.

Healthy Vegan Breakfast: Pickled Cabbage Quinoa Bowls with Pea Pesto Recipe

If you're looking for a new and healthy breakfast idea, try a savory bowl. This recipe is low in calories and high in fiber, to keep you full for hours. Grain bowls are one of the easiest ways to get a healthy serving of plant-based protein.

Recipe of the Day: Blackberry Basil Yogurt Toast

This twist on the usual avocado toast for breakfast is one of the easiest ways to add a nourishing spread with protein and nutrients. The combination of dairy-free yogurt, blackberries, and basil is full of antioxidants and fiber. Rotate it into your routine as a great nutrient-dense option

Healthy Plant-Based Lunch: Kidney Bean Arugula Salad Recipe

When you're in the mood for a healthy lunch and want to switch up your go-to salad for something more creative and delicious, try this kidney bean arugula salad that features summery citrus dressing. It will be your new favorite.

Summer Rolls w: Sweet & Spicy Peanut Sauce Recipe 5

Summer Rolls with Sweet & Spicy Peanut Sauce

Looking for a refreshing, lightweight meal made with nourishing ingredients? Try these Summer Rolls with Sweet and Spicy Peanut Sauce. The beautiful thing about this recipe is that it requires zero cooking!

Make This Loaded Salad with Creamy Hemp-Balsamic Dressing

This loaded salad is the perfect "fill me up" spring meal. Make this refreshing salad of seasonal vegetables, topped with a homemade hemp-balsamic dressing, with dates, Dijon mustard, hemp seeds, vinegar, lemon, and tamari

How to make Thai Curry Noodle Soup

Vegan Thai Curry Noodle Soup

Today's Recipe of the Day is Thai Curry Noodle soup, a comforting yet light bowl to enjoy all year round. Thai dishes like this one are especially healthy, with tofu, high in clean protein, and vegetables rich in nutrients and fiber. This dish is sure to fill you up and leave you satisfied.

Vegan, Keto Rainbow Cauliflower Rice Sushi

A lighter, healthier version of your traditional sushi, this recipe swaps cauliflower for rice, which can spike blood sugar. The cauliflower is a keto-friendly substitute for anything high in carbs and is nutrient-rich!

Roasted Sweet Potato & Spinach Grain Bowl

One of the best things about charming farmer markets with stands full of flowers and fresh produce is you can buy what's in season. This sweet potato and spinach salad is full of plant-based protein and complex carbs that are filling, delicious, and healthy.

Easy Baked Artichokes with Rosemary and Lemon

Artichokes are so easy to make, especially if you're hosting a dinner party because you can prep them in advance. Skip the buttery sauce and make these with healthier lemon and rosemary dressing instead.

Make This Cajun Caesar Salad with Blackened Chickpeas For a Healthy Lunch

We are always told to eat more salads to be healthy, but lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, and Italian dressing can get old, fast. If you're tired of eating the same old salad, try this cajun caesar salad with blackened chickpeas, full of fiber, protein, and, most of all, taste!

Make This Delicious Vegetable Pad Thai For a Healthy, Plant-Based Dinner

For the days when you don't feel like spending time cooking, but don't want to go with junk food or pop something into the microwave, make this veggie Pad Thai that is ready in just ten minutes

Roasted Aubergine and Tomato Pasta with Basil Pesto

A delicious homemade pasta is so healthy, packed with vegetables, you can eat the entire bowl without a moment's hesitation. Add crunchy pine nuts and fresh shaved vegan parmesan, (Follow Your Heart and Violife make great ones). Make this for date night, and listen to raves about your cooking.

Enjoy This Delicious Lentil and Sweet Potato Salad Just in Time For Spring

Hot weather ahead! What better excuse for a salad bowl full of plant-based protein and fresh greens loaded with vitamins and minerals. The spinach is rich in iron to help boost your energy.

Vegan Buddha Bowl With Quinoa and Vegetables

Looking for a healthy vegan buddha bowl? This recipe is gluten-free and makes a great lunch or dinner. Toss in any fresh vegetables from the farm stand or market: Purple cabbage, cucumber, avocado, and more.

Vegan Buddha Bowl With Quinoa and Vegetables

These tacos are clean and colorful. Made with chickpeas and quinoa with lots of fresh veg, wrapped in a corn tortilla or hard-shell corn taco.

Make This Sweet and Savory Tempeh Coconut Curry Dish for a Delicious Dinner

When you're in the mood for a warm, comforting plant-based meal, try this incredibly delicious bowl of nutty, crunchy tempeh and fresh vegetables covered in sweet creamy coconut milk and mixed with Indian-style spices

Why We Love It: Moroccan inspired salad is gluten-free, low in calories, and easy to make. It’s packed with fresh and whole foods including several immune-boosting foods like cumin, ginger,…

Moroccan-Inspired Salad with Superfoods and Plant-Based Protein

This Moroccan-inspired salad is gluten-free, easy to make, and healthy! This protein-packed salad recipe uses fresh and flavorful ingredients. Finish it with a deliciously spiced Moroccan dressing.

How to make Mark Bittman’s risotto recipe

Mark Bittman’s Barley Risotto with Beets and Greens

Today's Recipe of the Day is a warm, rich risotto made with red beets and beet greens. Beets help protect your heart, eyes, brain and reduce inflammation in your body, yet they are often overlooked when it comes to cooking because the vegetable is intimidating to many. Enjoy this comfort food meal!

How to make Coconut Ceviche.

Vegan Coconut Ceviche Created by the Chef of Planta

Today's Recipe of the Day is coconut ceviche created by Executive Chef David Lee of the popular plant-based restaurant, Planta, with several locations in Florida and a new one in New York City. Check out this delectable appetizer, and make it for your next dinner party!