Vegan Strawberry & Spinach Pasta Salad
This summer-y, Vegan Strawberry and Spinach Pasta Salad is a sure-fire crowd pleaser. Word on the street is that it tastes even better outside on the patio. Packed with goodness and flavour, send this recipe to the top of your must-try’s for this summer salad season.
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Introduction
I’ve long struggled with salads - often finishing dissatisfied. One of two things were missing:
Flavour - When I’m eating a salad, I want to feel like I’m eating a meal, not individual ingredients thrown into a bowl. An amalgamation of flavours that play off of each other and combine to create something new. A hint of that, a note of this. I don’t want a mouthful of sad arugula and old broccoli - give me a crescendo of taste and I’m a happy guy. And that’s exactly what this salad does.
Substance - Salads should be light, granted. But not so light that you’ve finished your lunch break, and ten minutes later you’re pecking at the donuts that Dave from Accounting brought for everybody in the break room. A salad should look, good, taste great, and keep you full until dinner! This salad checks all of those boxes.
What better way to make sure both of those characteristics were there than pasta - one of my all-time favourite foods, and a strawberry vinaigrette? That, for me, is summer in a bowl.
Throw this salad and salad dressing together in 20 minutes. It makes loads, so you’re set for the next few days. Not to mention, this strawberry vinaigrette is an awesome dressing, and I always have some in my fridge. It goes great with so many things.
The secret to this recipe is in the strawberries. The strawberry is one of the key ingredients in this salad, so make sure they stand out - in a good way. I use fresh strawberries to top the salad and in the dressing. Trust me, follow your gut and stay away from the frozen aisle! It makes all the difference.
For ideas on how to take this recipe to the next level, check out the Spruce it Up section down below.
Before we Get Started
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 5-7 Bowls
Note: I like to leave the salad for about an hour or so in the fridge after putting it together so that it cools down, but feel free to dig in right after finishing the recipe.
Ingredients
Salad
Handful of Spinach
500g Farfalle
Or your favourite pasta
1 Bell Pepper
~10 strawberries
Add more or less as you see fit
1/2 Red Onion
Handful Grape/Cherry Tomatoes
Dressing
~300g Strawberries
2 tbsp. Maple Syrup
5 tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
3 tbsp. Olive Oil
Use the best quality Olive Oil you have. If you don’t have any good stuff, don’t sweat it. Vegetable Oil works well, too.
1/3 Cup Water
Pinch of Salt
Method
Bring a pot of water to the boil. Heavily salt it, and add your pasta. Stir routinely to ensure they don’t stick together. Cook to the directions marked on the package.
While your pasta is cooking, finely dice your red onion and your bell pepper. Slice your grape tomatoes and strawberries in half.
Add everything to large bowl, as well as a handful of spinach.
Combine your dressing ingredients into a blender, and blend until smooth.
To get the seeds out of the dressing, put the dressing through a fine mesh sieve.
Once your pasta has finished cooking, drain, and run under cold water for 10-15 seconds to stop the cooking process. Add the pasta to a bowl, and mix to combine all of the ingredients together.
Add a good dash of fresh-cracked black pepper, and a sprinkle of salt.
Have a taste of the salad, and add more salt and pepper to your liking.
Drizzle over your strawberry vinaigrette.
Enjoy.
Spruce it Up
Add your favourite vegetables - broccoli and olives work really well.
Herbs work great, too - a few basil leaves go a long way.
Don’t hold back on the black pepper. It is a great way to add some heat and extra flavour to this dish.
Sprinkle some crushed chili flakes over top.