Vegan Pasta Salad

Most of my recipes on my YouTube channel are geared towards vegan as one of my daughters is vegan and had asked me for visual instructions because she lives out of town. Mostly they are simple to convert if you're not vegan. Use regular butter or cheese, add chicken, seafood, or a big juicy steak. You can add grilled, diced chicken or shrimp to this salad, and it will be a great lunch item, or you could serve it as a side salad for a sandwich. Either way, it's tasty and easy to make. You can double up when making pesto and stick half in the freezer for easy use or when in a time-crunch. Add a few spoons to heavy cream and reduce for a few minutes to get a delicious pesto cream sauce. As I said, easy is the word of the day. Happy cooking, and contact me with questions or requests.

Did you know? Buzzfeed sure did.

• Spaghetto is the singular word for spaghetti. ...

• Before machinery, pasta was kneaded by foot. ...

• Al dente pasta not only tastes better, but it also keeps you full longer. ...

• There are approximately 350 shapes of pasta... ...

• The average Italian eats 60 pounds of pasta per year... ...

• And a typical portion is only 100 grams (about 3.5 ounces).

Life is too short, and I'm Italian. I'd much rather eat pasta and drink wine than be a size 0.

~Sophia Bush

Ingredients

3 quarts water

1 tablespoon Kosher salt

6 ounces raw Bowtie pasta (or your choice of pasta)

2 tablespoons nut-free vegan pesto

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

juice of 1 navel orange

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup cherry tomatoes, washed and cut in half

1/3 English hothouse cucumber, washed, seeded, and sliced

1/4 red onion, peeled and diced or sliced (soak in cold water)

1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced

salt and pepper

Vegan Parmesan cheese (regular Parmesan if you are not vegan)

Directions

Bring water and salt to a boil. Add pasta and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes, a little longer if you like your pasta soft at the center. Follow package directions.

Drain and shock pasta immediately in ice water. Set aside and let drain while you make the dressing.

In a medium bowl, combine pesto, vinegar, orange juice, and sugar. Whisk to combine.

Add pasta and whatever vegetables you prefer and mix well until all ingredients are evenly coated with dressing. Taste and see if it needs additional salt and pepper or a little more pesto.

Plate and top off with sliced avocado, grilled chicken, or shrimp.

Serves 2

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