Easy Summer Pasta Salad

Published: Jun 12, 2020 · Modified: Nov 9, 2022 by Debra Klein · This post may contain affiliate links · 64 Comments

Easy Summer Pasta Salad Recipe. This is loaded with summer produce and an incredible parsley dressing with NO MAYO for a light and healthy plant based meal. Perfect for meal prep, pot-luck, picnics, lunch or dinner.

small white bowls with chick peas, green peas, halved cherry tomatoes, spinach, sunflower seeds, shallots surrounding a large white bowl of pasta salad with those ingredients.

Ever since I started making this Green Tahini Sauce, we have been using it on EVERYTHING. It’s a game changer to whipping up easy and tasty meals, snacks and salads. It is also the perfect answer to pasta salad when you don’t want to use mayonnaise.

This easy pasta salad recipe is light and tasty. Full of everything you crave in the summer. Fresh meals that are delicious don’t have to take a long time to make. A simple pasta salad doesn’t have to be complicated. I used some of my favorite summer staples, but you could easily change out the veggies for other times of the year.

Pasta Salad: What’s in it?

Pasta: choose a variety that meets YOUR nutritional requirements. I love the Jovial (not sponsored) brand of rice pasta. Make sure you check in frequently when cooking. Less is more. Especially with gluten-free pasta, it can get gummy/mushy easily. I like to cook mine about 2 minutes shy of what’s instructed on the package.
Veggies: choose what’s in season and that YOU like. I wanted to keep this EASY, so I didn’t include cooked veggies. However, you could also include roasted or steamed heartier veggies (broccoli, asparagus, brussels sprouts or cabbage would work well).
DRESSING: No need to weigh this down with mayo when you can dress this with a delicious green tahini sauce that is loaded with fresh parsley for a light and tasty, creamy dairy-free dressing.
COLOR: Eat the rainbow! It’s where the best variety of nutrients can be found. Super important to maintain a diverse gut bacteria climate. Think: purple cabbage, roasted sweet potatoes, sliced bell peppers, corn/
CRUNCH: I love to add nuts or seeds to my pasta salad because they add crunch….and also some added protein and healthy fats.
PROTEIN: If you’re serving this as a plant based meal, make sure there are protein sources. I’ve included beans, seeds, peas and spinach for that reason.
FIBER: Veggies and beans are rich in fiber, which helps keep your digestive system on track. Fiber also helps us feel full and satisfied.
BALANCE: It’s so important to balance out the carbs from the pasta with adequate protein, fiber and healthy fats. This recipe is in balance to help avoid spikes in blood sugar.

large bowl with red trim filled with pasta, and then topped with clumps of bright red tomatoes, piles of green peas, a handful of chickpeas a puddle of green tahini and some sunflower seeds.

How to make this light and healthy meal:

Bring a pot of water to boil and cook the pasta. Stir frequently and start to test for doneness at least 2 minutes before suggested time. You’ll want your pasta al dente in this recipe.
While the pasta cooks, prepare the dressing. I promise this takes just 5 minutes in your food processor. Plus, you may not need it all: bonus already prepped salad dressing in your fridge!
Stir the pasta again and get your veggies ready. Slice the shallot. If you don’t have one, you can sub in purple onions, scallions or chives. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Rinse and drain the chickpeas and green peas.
When the pasta is done, save about ½ cup cooking liquid before draining. DO NOT RINSE THE PASTA.
Grab a large bowl. Dump the drained pasta into the bowl. Add in the spinach, peas, tomatoes, chick peas, shallots and sunflower seeds. Pour on 1 cup dressing and mix well.
If you find the sauce is too thick for thorough mixing, add in some of the pasta water a couple Tablespoons at a time, as needed.
Taste for seasoning and add more salt or pepper as needed. You know, I like my spice, so I add a healthy pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to mine.

Serving colorful pasta salad from a large red glass bowl into smaller white bowls, with some extra sunflower seeds and red pepper flakes for garnish.

That’s it. Imagine coming home to a container of this in your fridge. So good, you’ll want to make this easy summer pasta salad over and over. It will be ready in no time, so you can get back to enjoying life.