Italian Pasta Salad with Sundried Tomato Balsamic Dressing (Oil-Free)

_{Photo by Hannah Kaminsky}

This Italian pasta salad with sundried tomato balsamic dressing is tangy, briny, and makes an excellent summer dinner or a great lunch to pack away. Shell pasta loaded with beans, roasted red peppers, kalamata olives, red onion, and arugula. Basically an antipasto platter that decided to become dinner.

The dressing is thick, tangy, and a little sweet, with toasted walnuts blended in for body. No mayo, no bottled Italian dressing, no oil, just a rich sundried tomato balsamic situation that clings to every shell.

I have brought this vegan Italian pasta salad to many a cookout, picnic, and random backyard function, and it always gets eaten quickly. No one has ever asked where the oil is. It holds up well at room temperature, makes a great potluck dish, and is just as good eaten straight from the fridge later.

An Oil-Free Dressing You’ll Want To Make Extra Of

The dressing is soooo luscious. It’s somewhere between a sundried tomato pesto and a balsamic vinaigrette. The toasted walnuts and sundried tomatoes give it a lush, almost jammy texture that clings to every shell of pasta. The rehydrated tomatoes blend up smooth and clingy with that deep savory richness, the balsamic adds a sweet tang, and the fennel gives it that little something that makes it taste like an actual Italian deli. People will definitely stop and ask “Hmm, what is that?” I love a fennel backdrop in pasta salad like this.

Trust me and double or triple the recipe. It keeps for up to 5 days in the fridge and is good on grain bowls, roasted vegetables, and sandwiches. I’ve also been known to dip veggies in it and eat it right out of the blender.

The Stars Of The Salad: Pasta and Vegetables

Shells are ideal for this oil-free pasta salad because they grab onto the dressing and catch all the little bits. Rotini or penne work too. Brown rice pasta is great here because it holds its shape and absorbs the dressing without turning to mush, and it’s gluten-free so makes a great sharing salad, but any short pasta works. Cook until just al dente, then rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and cool it down fast.

There’s a lot of love in here, so let’s get into it.

White beans keep it hearty without overpowering everything. I sometimes make this with chickpeas instead, because I sometimes make everything with chickpeas. The arugula brings freshness and a little pepperiness that balances the sweet balsamic. Roasted red peppers and olives add to the Italian deli thing, and red onion keeps it sharp. And honestly, most vegetables are wonderful here. The dressing is so flavorful that you cannot really go wrong. Cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, zucchini ribbons, toasted walnuts tossed in at the end. Go with what you have.

Long story short, this oil-free pasta salad is a crowd pleaser. If you’re looking for a pasta salad that is bright, fresh and filling without any mayo or oil, you found the one. It’s originally from Appetite For Reduction and used to be called Trattoria Pasta Salad, but I changed the title so that people searching for something like this could find it.

VEGAN ITALIAN PASTA SALAD FAQ:

Can I make this ahead of time? For sure. The dressing keeps for up to 5 days in the fridge. The assembled salad is best within a day or two — if you are planning ahead, toss the arugula in just before serving.

Can I use oil-packed sundried tomatoes? The recipe calls for dry-packed, which keeps the dressing oil-free. That said, if you want a little oil in the dressing, oil-packed is actually a fine way to get it in there.

Is this gluten-free? Yup yup yup, as long as you use a gluten-free pasta. Brown rice pasta is the original call and works really well here.

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Recipe

Italian Pasta Salad with Sundried Tomato Balsamic Dressing (Oil-Free)

Isa Chandra

A no-mayo Italian pasta salad with white beans, arugula, roasted red peppers, and kalamata olives, tossed in an oil-free sundried tomato balsamic dressing with toasted walnuts and fennel.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Lunch, Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine Italian Inspired

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

  

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For the Sundried Tomato Balsamic Dressing:

• 1/4 cup dry-packed sundried tomatoes
• Scant 1/4 cup walnut halves
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
• 2 tablespoons shallot roughly chopped
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• Fresh black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram

For the Pasta Salad:

• 8 oz shell pasta
• 1 15 oz can great northern or navy beans rinsed and drained
• 4 cups arugula
• 1 small red onion thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup roasted red peppers chopped
• 1/4 cup kalamata olives pitted and halved
• 1/2 cup walnut halves
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

 

Cook the pasta:

• Boil the pasta in well-salted water until just al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water until completely cool.

Toast the walnuts:

• Heat a dry skillet over medium heat, add all the walnuts (the ones to top it with, too), and toast, stirring often, until fragrant and varying shades of brown, about 7 minutes. Set aside a scant 1/4 cup for the dressing and the rest for the salad.

Rehydrate the sundried tomatoes:

• While walnuts are toasting, submerge the sundried tomatoes in warm water and soak for about 15 minutes, then drain.

Make the dressing:

• Transfer the scant 1/4 cup walnuts to a blender or food processor with the fennel seed and pulse to finely chop. Add the drained sundried tomatoes, shallot, water, balsamic vinegar, dijon, salt, and pepper and puree until relatively smooth. Add the marjoram and pulse a few times to incorporate. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Assemble:

• Combine the pasta, beans, arugula, red onion, roasted red peppers, olives, and reserved walnuts in a large bowl. Add the dressing and toss well. Taste for salt. Keep chilled until ready to serve.

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