Introducing two substantial vegan summer salad recipes you can serve at any social gathering! The tangy pasta salad is made with croutons, olives, sun-dried tomatoes and sautéed veggies, and the Thai-inspired quinoa salad is made with mango, avocado, and crunchy peanuts, served with a sweet and salty peanut sauce.
Even in the heat of summer you won't find me eating a salad that's primarily greens. That's not to say I don't love my dark, leafy greens! It's just that I gravitate toward more filling, substantial dishes. (Don't even get me started on all the times I tell someone I'm vegan and they offer me a salad... 🙁 ) You know, it's got to be greens + something. All that to say, these salads aren't made with greens.
These two vegan summer salad recipes are made with pasta and quinoa. They're satiating, nurturing, filling, and perfect for feeding a crowd.
Why You'll Love These Recipes
I recently served both of these dishes at my cousin's baby shower, and they were a huge hit. Even though they are considered hearty salads, they make great light lunch options.
These summer salads require minimal cooking and little time, and they are easy to double and triple to serve a crowd.
The pasta salad is briney, tangy, crunchy, summery, and satiating.
The quinoa salad is sweet and salty, sour, crunchy, herby, and refreshing.
Where & How to Serve These Salads
Whether it's a baby or bridal shower, book club, a family picnic, or a birthday brunch, these light lunches are bursting with bright color and are sure to impress.
For the pasta salad, toss all of the ingredients together and make sure the seasonings, oil and vinegar are combined well so that every bite is packed with flavor. I like to reserve a small handful of the pretty toppings, like the olives, capers, sun-dried tomatoes, and basil to top the dish. This way when it is served guests can immediately see some of the irresistible ingredients inside!
I recommend serving the quinoa salad with the peanut sauce on the side. Guests can simply spoon on their desired amount of sauce. While the bright yellow from the mango and the bright green from the avocado make this a pretty salad, it does look more appetizing slightly deconstructed. I like to mix in half of the ingredients and then top the remaining half on top so guests can see more of the colorful ingredients instead of the quinoa—which, let's be honest, always looks a touch bland. 🙂
What Makes a Good Salad
Whether you make these salads or construct your own, here are the components that make up a great salad recipe. This formula is for grain-based or pasta salads.
- Whole grain or pasta
- Crunchy ingredients: croutons, raw veggies, nuts
- Soft ingredients: sautéed or roasted veggies, fruit, avocado, olives, sun-dried tomatoes
- Herbs
- Vinaigrette or creamy sauce
Summer Pasta Salad Ingredients
For years I have made this pasta salad for road trip picnics, boat lunches, or to pack in the golf cart. It's quick and easy to make, and the balsamic, olives, capers, and sun-dried tomatoes give it a briney, tangy flavor that's far from bland. Crispy croutons provide a nice crunch to contrast the pasta. Sautéed green bell pepper, zucchini, and yellow squash bring in an earthy flavor and fresh basil adds a lovely summery touch.
How to Make the Pasta Salad
Start by boiling the pasta and cooking it according to package instructions. I use a chickpea-based, gluten-free pasta, which I always undercook slightly to prevent the noodles from falling apart. When done, drain the pasta and add to a large bowl. Stir the pasta with olive oil to prevent the noodles from sticking together.
While the the pasta is boiling, chop the zucchini, yellow squash, and bell pepper. Sauté the chopped veggies in olive oil, salt, and pepper over medium heat until soft and the zucchini and squash are translucent.
Preheat the oven to 425F. Cube the sourdough and toss in a large bowl with olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Spread the sourdough cubes out onto a baking sheet and bake for about 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
In the large bowl with the pasta, capers, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, sautéed veggies, and croutons. Mix together well. Add the basil, salt, pepper, olive oil, and balsamic, and stir to combine. Once well-combined, taste and make sure you get a tangy, peppery bite. If not, add additional balsamic and freshly ground black pepper.
Every bite should be bursting with flavor!
Thai Quinoa Salad Ingredients
Quinoa makes a protein-rich, nurturing base. Juicy mango adds tropical, summery flavor, and avocado brings even more creamy texture and adds a bit of healthy fat. Chopped basil adds herby, fresh flavor, while crunchy peanuts help balance the texture and add saltiness.
Serve with the sweet and salty peanut sauce from my Tempeh Buddha Bowl.
How to Make the Quinoa Salad
Cook the quinoa by adding 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups of water to a medium pot. Bring it to a boil, then simmer with the lid on until the liquid is soaked up—about 15 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork. Let sit to cool.
I use a bag of frozen mango (thawed) to avoid the sometimes difficult process of finding a ripe mango and chopping it. Chop any large pieces of mango, dice the avocado, and chop the basil and peanuts.
Mix the quinoa with the mango, avocado, basil and peanuts.
Combine all of the peanut sauce ingredients together and either drizzle on top or serve on the side.
Recipe Variations
Here are some possible substitutions or variations you could take with either of these recipes.
Summer Pasta Salad
- You can use red wine vinegar instead of balsamic if you prefer.
- Instead of croutons you could use roasted chickpeas.
- Use any seasonal sautéed veggies you have on hand!
- I sometimes add a jar of roasted red bell peppers.
- Instead of pasta this salad would taste great with orzo.
Thai Quinoa Salad
- Any raw, crunchy veggies would taste great in this salad, like peppers, purple cabbage, or shredded carrots.
- A bit more tart, but you could use pineapple instead of mango.
- Any whole grain works here!
- In lieu of basil, or in addition to basil, you could use cilantro and/or green onions.
- Black sesame seeds add a bold contrast to the look of the dish and make a crunchy topping.
- A squeeze of fresh lime juice would make a lovely addition.
How to Prep These Recipes in Advance
If you are not serving the pasta salad right away, I recommend adding the oil and vinegar just before serving to ensure the noodles don't get too soft. Keep the croutons separate until you are ready to serve.
Everything can be mixed together ahead of time for the quinoa salad except for the avocado and peanut sauce. I recommend dicing and adding the avocado just before serving. You can make the peanut sauce in advance, but serve it separately, next to the quinoa salad.
Storage
Both of these recipes are best enjoyed the day they are prepared. However, if you are storing them for later, both are best enjoyed within 1-2 days.
If you know ahead of time that you are going to store these salads for later, keep the croutons separate from the pasta salad in an airtight container or plastic bag. This way you can maintain their crunch!
The same goes for the avocado in the quinoa salad. Keep it separate if you now you will be saving more for later. I either wrap half of an avocado in plastic wrap or beeswax paper, or I add some lime or lemon juice to diced avocado in an airtight container to keep it fresh.
📖 Recipe
Summer Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Pasta
- 8 ounces rotini or favorite type of pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
Sautéed Veggies
- 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 1 zucchini
- 1 yellow squash
- 1 green bell pepper or any color
Sourdough Croutons
- 8 ounces sourdough about half a loaf
- 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
Pasta Salad
- 8 ounces sun-dried tomatoes* drained and chopped
- 7 ounces Kalamata olives pitted, sliced, and drained
- 2.4 ounces capers drained
- ¼ cup fresh basil chopped
- 2-4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar*
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Cook according to package instructions, being careful not to over-cook. I use gluten-free pasta and slightly undercook the pasta to ensure it doesn't fall apart.
- Preheat the oven to 425F. Chop the zucchini, yellow squash, and bell pepper. Cube the sourdough bread.
- When the pasta is done cooking, drain and add to a large bowl. Drizzle and stir with a tablespoon of olive oil to prevent the noodles from sticking together.
- Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a medium frying pan and heat over medium. Once warm, add the zucchini, squash, and bell pepper, along with the salt and pepper. Sauté until the veggies are soft and the zucchini and squash are translucent.
- Combine the cubed sourdough with olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Spread out onto a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes. Oven temperatures vary, so check periodically to make sure the croutons don't burn.
- To the large bowl with the pasta, add the sun-dried tomatoes, olives, capers, basil, and the sautéed veggies. When the croutons are done, add them to the bowl (check the notes for exceptions!). Add balsamic vinegar, starting with 2 tablespoons and adding more if desired. Then garnish with freshly ground black pepper. Make sure everything is well-combined and taste to make sure each bite is bursting with flavor, adding more oil, vinegar, salt, or pepper if needed.
Notes
- I only used about ¾ of the jar of sun-dried tomatoes and felt like it was plenty. Use desired amount.
- Use 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and stir everything to combine. Taste and adjust to your preference, adding more if desired.
- If you are not serving the pasta right away, or you plan to save leftovers, keep the croutons to the side and serve separately to prevent them getting too soft.
📖 Recipe
Thai Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
Quinoa Salad
- 1 cup quinoa
- 10 ounces frozen mango thawed
- 1 avocado
- ½ cup basil chopped
- ¼ cup peanuts chopped
Peanut Sauce
- ¼ cup smooth peanut butter
- ¼ cup tamari
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
Instructions
- Add quinoa and 2 cups of water to a medium pot. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes. When done, remove the lid and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Let cool while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Chop any large mango pieces and dice the avocado (see notes). Chop the basil and peanuts.
- Combine all of the peanut sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl or measuring cup. Stir vigorously to combine and create a smooth, creamy sauce.
- Add the quinoa to a serving dish and stir in the mango, avocado (if using immediately), basil, and peanuts. Drizzle a little peanut sauce on top, and then serve the rest of the sauce on the side.
Notes
- If you plan to serve this dish later, wait to open and dice the avocado until serving. If you plan to save leftovers, keep the avocado on the side and add desired amount to your bowl. Save the rest of the avocado by spritzing some lemon or lime juice on top and store in an airtight container.
More Summer Recipes for Large Crowds
Looking for more summer recipes to serve at social gatherings?
- Grilled Zucchini Pesto Pasta
- Vegan Cheese Board
- Grilled Romaine with Vegan Caesar Dressing
- Tofu Lettuce Wraps
- 5-Ingredient Black Bean Dip
- White Bean Artichoke Dip
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