Description
This vegan crack pasta salad is a flavorful, creamy, and tangy dish that combines tender fusilli pasta, sweet baby peas, and a rich cashew-based dressing infused with umami-packed ingredients like miso, tamari, and nutritional yeast. Perfect as a light lunch or side, it’s easy to prepare, dairy-free, and a great plant-based option for any gathering.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta Salad
- 10 to 12 oz. fusilli pasta (cooked and cooled)
- 2 cups frozen baby peas (thawed)
- ¾ cup red onion (finely diced)
- 2 teaspoons freeze dried chives
Dressing
- ½ cup raw cashews (soaked)
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened plain plant milk
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons water
- ¼ cup distilled white vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon reduced-sodium tamari
- 2 teaspoons white miso
- 1 teaspoon organic maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon dried minced onions
- ¼ teaspoon dried ground mustard powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt (+/-)
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper (+/-)
Instructions
- Soak Cashews: Soak the raw cashews in boiling water for 20 minutes to soften them for easier blending and a creamier dressing texture, then drain.
- Prepare Dressing: Add the soaked cashews along with all remaining dressing ingredients—plant milk, lemon juice, water, vinegar, tamari, miso, maple syrup, nutritional yeast, spices, and seasonings—into a high-speed blender, and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Combine Salad Ingredients: In a large bowl, mix together the thawed baby peas, cooled cooked fusilli pasta, finely diced red onion, and freeze-dried chives, tossing gently to distribute evenly.
- Dress the Salad: Gradually pour in the prepared cashew dressing while mixing gently to ensure the pasta salad is evenly coated with the flavorful dressing.
- Chill: Refrigerate the assembled pasta salad for at least one hour to allow flavors to meld and the salad to firm up before serving.
Notes
- Make sure to soak the cashews adequately for a creamy dressing; using boiling water helps speed this up.
- If preferred, fresh chives can replace freeze-dried chives but add them just before serving to maintain their bright flavor.
- Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed depending on your seasoning preferences.
- This salad can be refrigerated for up to 2 days, making it a great make-ahead option.
- Use gluten-free pasta if you want to make this dish gluten-free.
