This refreshing high-protein pasta salad is satisfying, delicious, and packed with 23g of plant protein per serve. Great for summer, this dish also refrigerates beautifully and is meal prep-friendly.
It is also great served for summer potlucks or cookouts, alongside vegan BBQ ribs, tomato cucumber corn salad, or homemade Italian seitan sausages!
This plant-based protein pasta salad was a lifesaver when I was a broke college student juggling classes and part-time work. With limited (and often overpriced) lunch options, I mostly rely on meal prep, with my favorite being peanut tofu stir-fry and this protein pasta salad.
To make a more satisfying meal, I like adding chunks of vegan bologna or homemade Instant Pot seitan for a boost of flavor and protein!
💚Why you will love protein pasta salad
- Vibrant and refreshing, making it a great summer recipe for potlucks and picnics
- A high-protein twist on the traditional recipe that is packed with plant protein and vegetables
- Refrigerate well, making it great for meal prep
- Customizable, so feel free to add your preferred salad mix-ins!
🥗What you will need
- High-protein pasta - I like both Barilla Protein+ and Banza chickpea pasta, but any other high-protein pasta will do. You can also swap with regular pasta, but salad will be lower protein.
- Vegetables - I am using a mix of tomatoes, lettuce, and bell peppers here, but feel free to use whatever you have.
- Red kidney beans - Can be substituted with another kind of bean (including chickpea, navy beans, pinto beans, butter beans).
- Cashews - A healthy fat that makes the base of this recipe. Or you can substitute with ½ cup Greek yogurt or unsweetened soy yogurt.
- White wine vinegar - Red wine vinegar or lemon juice can be used in place.
- Dressing for salad - To simplify the recipe, use a ready-made dressing of your choice, including Caesar, vinaigrettes, or even my vegan Italian dressing.
🍗Other high-protein add-ins
Here are some high-protein ingredients that are great added to pasta salad:
- Baked tofu or tempeh
- Meat - Cooked chicken breast, steak, shrimps
- Boiled eggs
- Plant-based alternatives - seitan steak, vegan gyro meat, seitan chicken breast
- Cheese - Mozzarella, crumbled feta (or vegan feta)
- Other toppings - Roasted beans (like my roasted black beans or roasted lentils).
🔪How to make protein pasta salad
Step 1: Soak cashews overnight, or in hot water for 20 minutes. Drain before use.
Step 2: Make the dressing by blending all ingredients needed.
Step 3: Add all salad ingredients to a bowl. Pour in dressing and mix well.
Step 4: Serve immediately or refrigerate for at least 30 minutes for a cold protein pasta salad.
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✅Helpful tips
- Cooking protein pasta - They are more delicate and tend to crumble easily compared to regular pasta. Make sure to cook them at a gentle simmer and check on them 1-2 minutes before the indicated cook time.
- Cook pasta well - As pasta cools in the fridge, it tends to go stale. Cooking it well ensures a better texture.
- Allow salad to sit - This gives time for the flavors to develop, yielding a more flavorsome salad.
- Customize this recipe - Use any combination of vegetables. You can also switch up the dressing or use store-bought ones for a more convenient option.
❄️Storing and meal prep suggestions
- Batch making pasta salad - Simply double or triple the ingredients to make a larger batch.
- Fridge - Protein pasta salad can be refrigerated for 5 days in an airtight container. If salad dried out too much, add a splash of olive oil before serving.
- On the go - Salad will stay fresh at room temperature for 2 hours. If going longer than that, store in an insulated cooler bag with an ice pack tucked in.
?Commonly asked questions
Some popular high-protein add-ins for pasta salads include shredded chicken, ground beef/turkey, seared steak slices, and grilled shrimp. Cheeses, including mozzarella balls and feta, are other great add-ins.
Plant-based alternatives, including vegan chicken pieces, seitan, beans, and edamame, are popular additions as well. You can also switch from regular pasta to the higher-protein, legume-based pasta.
To prevent pasta salad from drying out excessively when stored, keep it in an airtight container.
You might also consider reserving a bit of the dressing and mixing it in just before serving to add back some moisture and richness. Alternatively, you could add a drizzle olive oil.
📖 Recipe
High Protein Pasta Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
For the salad
- 2 cups high protein pasta or regular pasta *see notes
- 2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper diced
- 1 15 oz can red kidney beans or other kinds of beans
- 1 cup frozen shelled edamame
- 12 cherry / grape tomatoes halved
- salt and pepper to taste
For the dressing** (see notes)
- ½ cup raw cashews presoaked overnight (or ½ cup greek yogurt)
- ⅓ cup water
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar/lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoon maple syrup or another liquid sweetener
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasonings
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a gentle simmer and cook pasta according to package instructions. Add edamame to the pot during the last few minutes of cooking.
- Cook pasta until tender. Drain the edamame and pasta from the pot, then rinse with cold water. Set aside.
- While the pasta cooks, make the creamy Italian dressing by combining all the ingredients in a blender and blending until smooth.
- In a large salad bowl, place in all ingredients and pour in dressing. Mix until everything is thoroughly combined. Give it a taste and add more seasonings, if needed.
- Enjoy immediately. Or, chill it for an hour before serving for better texture and flavor.
Video
Notes
- Cooking protein pasta - They are more delicate and tend to crumble easily compared to regular pasta. Make sure to cook them at a gentle simmer and check on them 1-2 minutes before the indicated cook time.
- Cook pasta well - As pasta cools in the fridge, it tends to go stale. Cooking it well ensures a better texture.
- Customize this recipe - Use any combination of vegetables. You can also switch up the dressing or use store-bought ones for a more convenient option.
Save this recipe!
Email yourself a link to this page and come back later.
Also get a FREE high-protein vegan recipe eBook + weekly new recipes! Unsubscribe anytime.
Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
Yvonne says
The 2 c. Of pasta, dry or after it is cooked? Thanks.
Jim Mee Sha says
It is 2 cups of uncooked pasta. 😁
Jeannie says
Fantastic! Only thing I did differently was to add Kalamata olives, sun dried tomatoes, and pickled red onions. Will definitely be making again.
Joyce A Stevens says
Question: The recipe doesn't state whether to rinse the red kidney beans. Should they be rinsed? Thank you.
Jim Mee Sha says
Yes, you will need to rinse the beans.😁
Paige Bordier says
Hi! Just wondering what store bought alternative dressing you might suggest? With the cashew milk, seems it’s not like a standard Italian dressing which I love but looking for a store bought creamy alternative that might be comprae 🙂
Meesha says
Vegan ranch dressing or vegan caesar dressing will work in this recipe if you are looking for a creamy dressing.😉
Lisa says
What’s the nutrition information measurements. 23g protein per…?
Meesha says
It is 23g of protein per serving! This recipe makes 4 servings. 😊
Holly Rook says
This is so delicious. The dressing is so tasty and the recipe makes enough to thoroughly coat the pasta salad which I love. I doubled the recipe and added olives and sun-dried tomatoes but otherwise made as is. This recipe is going to be my new go-to for pasta salad!
Meesha says
I am super happy to hear that! Thanks for leaving this kind comment.😁
Maryam says
Looks delicious. But I am curious, what is the actual serving size? You have provided the nutritional information but I don’t see the serving size for it.
Meesha says
A serving is about 1/6 of the whole batch. 😊
Jenni says
But it makes 4 servings?
Jim Mee Sha says
I had since updated the recipe, and this current recipe makes 4 servings. 😁
Callie says
I really like this recipe, thanks for sharing! Quick question - in the ingredients is it 2c of cooked or uncooked pasta?
Meesha says
It is 2 cups of uncooked pasta.😁