Vegan Tomato and Feta Pasta Salad

This Vegan Tomato and Feta Pasta Salad is the perfect dish to take to summertime potlucks, and it’s a great side dish for cookouts and picnics, too! This recipe uses fresh tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, and vegan feta cheese, and it's super easy to make. It's dairy-free with a gluten-free option.

4th of July Potluck

My friends Lydia and Mauro, who write for From A to Vegan, usually have a potluck in their backyard during the 4^th of July weekend to celebrate their birthdays, which are July 5^th and 6^th. When I saw a video of Ina Garten’s Tomato Feta Pasta Salad being made on Food Network’s Facebook page, I bookmarked it, thinking it would be a fun recipe to veganize and take with me. With olives, capers, and sun-dried tomatoes, I knew I’d love it before I even made it.

Vegan Tomato and Feta Pasta Salad

It was indeed super easy to veganize the recipe using my Tofu Feta and Walnut Parmesan. When I first made it, I hadn’t intended to write a blog post about it since I was just making simple swaps in Ina Garten’s recipe, but I was so pleased with the way it turned out, that I knew I had to share.

Easy to Make Pasta Salad Recipe

This recipe is super easy to make in just a few simple steps!

• First, you cook the pasta according to the package directions. Allow it cool while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
• Then, you mix together half of the sun-dried tomatoes, the oil, vinegar, capers, garlic, salt, and pepper in a blender until smooth. It's okay if it's a little chunky. I use my Blendtec's twister jar.
• Then, you mix the rest of the ingredients in with the pasta and pour on the dressing. Mix it all together until it's all well incorporated.
• Just refrigerate until you're ready to serve it!

If you’re in a hurry, you can use store-bought vegan feta and parmesan rather than making your own. Violife has tasty dairy-free versions of both.

I prefer the dry sun-dried tomatoes to the oil-packed kind. If they feel tough, just soak them in water for about half an hour.

I always use whole grain pasta when making pasta salad. Bean-based pastas, such as red lentil or chickpea, are great, too. Make sure you use gluten-free pasta if you follow a gluten-free diet.

This pasta salad is a perfect side dish to veggie burgers and sandwiches. If you'd like to make a meal out of the dish, throw in a can of chickpeas or white beans and serve it on a bed of fresh lettuce. This dish will serve about 8 people as a side dish and four as a main.

Vegan Tomato and Feta Pasta Salad

Dianne

This Vegan Tomato and Feta Pasta Salad is the perfect dish to take to summertime potlucks, and it’s a great side dish for cookouts and picnics, too!

This recipe serves about 8 people as a side dish and 4 people as a main.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 8 servings

Calories 222 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 8 ounces whole-grain pasta (gluten-free, if necessary)
• ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes packed, divided (soaked in water if they’re tough)
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 teaspoon capers drained
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes sliced in half
• ¾ cup kalamata olives sliced
• 1 cup Tofu Feta (or your favorite store-bought feta, crumbled)
• ½ cup Walnut Parmesan (or your favorite store-bought parmesan, grated)
• 1 cup flat-leaf parsley chopped

Instructions

 

• Cook the pasta according the package directions. Drain and allow to cool. Place in a large bowl and set aside
• Make the dressing by mixing half of the sun-dried tomatoes, the olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, capers, salt, and pepper together in food processor or blender until smooth.
• Cut the rest of the sun-dried tomatoes into thin slices and add them to the bowl with the pasta, along with the cherry tomatoes, olives, Tofu Feta, parsley, and Walnut parmesan. Pour the dressing over everything, and toss to combine.
• Serve cold or at room temperature.

Other delicious cookout side dishes include:

• German Potato Salad
• Greek Pasta Salad
• Caesar Pasta Salad
• Cruciferous Crunch Salad