Delicious Vegan Pasta Salad with Grapes and Arugula

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This delicious vegan pasta salad recipe with grapes and arugula, not to mention juicy apples, is a mouthwatering easy dinner or side dish. It’s fresh, summery and completely irresistible…and it’s loaded with flavours and textures. Think juicy apples, sweet juicy grapes drizzled with thyme and topped with crunchy nuts…it doesn’t get much better than this easy vegan pasta recipe. 

This pasta salad is a stable in my cooking repertoire. Whenever there’s a picnic, summer BBQ or even just a weekend get together this pasta salad is the recipe I turn to. Because it’s so quick and easy to make and because it’s a crowdpleaser recipe it always ends up being my go-to dish. 

As the weather gets warmer I always start craving lighter meals, but I still want lots of flavours and textures. That’s just one more reason why this simple pasta recipe is one of my go-to dishes. Plus, the fact that it’s incredibly easy to make and require a minimum of effort fo maximum flavours really appeals to the lazy side of me. 

What’s great about this delicious vegan pasta salad with grapes and apples recipe:

• Easy to make – requires almost no cooking skills (if you can boil water and add pasta you can make this recipe)
• Quick to make – ready to eat in 15-minutes
• Healthy and loaded with vitamins and minerals
• Can be made in advance
• Fits the Mediterranean diet
• Vegan 
• Can be gluten-free – just substitute regular pasta penne for gluten-free pasta
• Packed with juicy fruits and crunchy nuts
• A crowdpleaser

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Gluten-free vegan pasta salad with grapes and arugula

To make this vegan summer pasta salad gluten-free you have several options. You can substitute the regular pasta with your favourite gluten-free pasta for the easiest switch. Or you can add extra plant based protein by using gluten-free lentil pasta…this is one of my favourite gluten-free pasta options because the lentils add so many extra healthy benefits. 

Another great GF option is using rice pasta or corn pasta. The rice pasta has a nice and neutral taste that compliments the fruits and is always a great GF option. 

Meal prep friendly

Now when I say this recipe is meal prep friendly I mean it can be made 5-8 hours in advance. As it’s a salad it doesn’t freeze well and would need to be heated to make sure it’s good to eat after coming out of a freezer. It can be done (and as I am a fan of warm apples I can still recommend this option), but just know that freezing and reheating this pasta salad will change the texture and taste completely and it will feel more like a warm pasta dish. 

Making it hours in advance will still make it a fresh pasta salad that you can serve as a side dish at BBQ’s and picnics. 

How to serve this delicious easy pasta salad with grapes and arugula

You can serve this pasta salad as a main dish because it’s so delicious and filling…but you can also serve it as a side dish to almost any main dish as the flavours work well with all dishes. For BBQ’s I can recommend serving this pasta with :

• my easy vegan roast
• Chickpea nuggets (this one is a fan favourite recipe)
• Kidney bean skewers
• Roasted portabella mushrooms
• Meatless meatballs
• Burgers 

…and the list could go on

How is this Delicious vegan pasta salad recipe made? It’s very easy. Just:

Instructions

• Start by drizzling the lemon juice over the apples to prevent them from going brown. Mix together until all the apples are coated in lemon juice. 
• Next, add the cooked pasta to a large salad bowl and mix in the grapes, apples, peppers and arugula and mix to combine. Pour the dressing over the pasta salad and season with thyme, salt and pepper. 
• Gently toss to combine and add extra seasoning if needed. Top with salted roasted almonds (optional).Serve and enjoy.