Lentil Pasta Salad (Without Mayo)
Lentil pasta salad is packed full of hearty, plant-based protein and veggies. It is all tossed together in a zesty dressing. This vegetarian pasta salad is made without mayo and can be enjoyed cold from the fridge or served at room temperature.
Ingredients
- ½ lb ditalini pasta (about 1 ½ cups)
- 1 cup French green lentils (AKA puy lentils)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 bayleaf
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 bell peppers any color, I like to use red and yellow!
- ½ cup red onion diced
- 4 Persian cucumbers (mini cucumbers), diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- ½ cup feta cheese crumbles
For the pasta salad dressing:
- 3 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 clove garlic grated or minced
- 1 ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon white miso paste
- 3 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup seasoned rice vinegar
- ½ tablespoon maple syrup
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Cook the lentils. Combine 1 cup of dried lentils, 3 cups of water, ½ teaspoon of salt, 1 bayleaf and a clove of garlic in a medium sauce plan. Bring the lentils to a boil, cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 25 minutes until tender. Strain the lentils and allow them to cool. Remove the bayleaf and garlic.
- Cook the pasta al dente according to package directions. While the pasta and lentils are cooking, dice the vegetables.
- Mix the dressing. Whisk together the nutritional yeast, minced garlic, oregano, parsley, miso pasta, apple cider vinegar, seasoned rice vinegar, maple syrup and olive oil.
- Add the cooked lentils, cooked pasta, diced peppers, red onion, cucumbers, tomatoes and feta cheese to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle the dressing on top. Mix well to combine. Serve room temperature or enjoy cold from the fridge.
Video
Notes
- For a high protein vegetarian pasta salad add in a can of beans.
- Omit the feta or use vegan feta cheese for a vegan lentil pasta salad.
- To make this gluten-free you can use gluten-free pasta such as red lentil pasta.
- To make this quickly use canned lentils in place of dried lentils.
- The dressing used in this recipe is one of my favorites! You can find more information on nutrition yeast dressing on the linked blog post.
- Enjoy this room temperature or cold! To serve it cold, I suggest chilling it for 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving.
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