Gluten Free & Dairy Free Pasta Salad

This Gluten Free & Dairy Free Pasta Salad is a must have during the summer months! It’s made with veggies, buckwheat pasta and an Italian dressing. It’s perfect for summer picnics, weeknight side dishes, or even a snack!

My mom would always make a delicious pasta salad and summer wasn’t complete without having this recipe multiple times! I wanted to recreate this taste using real ingredients that don’t contain any gluten, dairy or sugar. This recipe does all of that and still tastes pretty darn close to my mom’s recipe! We love making this as a side dish when we are grilling or bringing it to summer barbecues.

Ingredients:

• Buckwheat pasta
• Primal Kitchen’s Italian Vinaigrette & Marinade
• Shredded carrots
• Green peppers
• Cherry tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Broccoli

Customizing the Ingredients

This Gluten Free & Dairy Free Pasta Salad is a simple recipe that is gluten free, dairy free, nut free and sugar free. I totally understand that some people like to add a lot more to their pasta salad recipes and don’t have the same diet restrictions I do. If that happens to be you, there are so many other ingredients you can add to this recipe. Some examples are mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, olives, deli meat or anything else you can think of! Just be warned that you might need to add more dressing if you are going to add more ingredients.

Pasta Options and Alternatives

To make this recipe gluten free, I use Felicia’s Penne Buckwheat Pasta. I have found that this pasta is the best texture and keeps well in the refrigerator. I buy mine from my local Whole Foods as my regular grocery store does not carry it. Other gluten free pasta options include lentil, green pea, chickpea, black bean or rice flour. You can also add regular pasta if you don’t have any dietary restrictions!

How Long Will It Keep in the Refrigerator

If you are using the buckwheat pasta, it will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I would add extra Italian dressing each time you take it out of the refrigerator to give it a little bit more moisture. If you use regular pasta, this should also keep well in the refrigerator. However, I know from experience that gluten free pasta does not keep well in the refrigerator and becomes hard pretty quickly.

Meal Prep Options

If you want to save time and meal prep this Gluten Free & Dairy Free Pasta Salad ahead of time, my recommendation would be to prep the veggies. This way, you will only need to cook the pasta and toss it all together. However, if you need to make this the night before you can cut the veggies and make the noodles and add the dressing when you are ready to serve it.

How to Make Gluten Free & Dairy Free Pasta Salad

This recipe is so easy to make, just boil the pasta and cut the veggies! Start by following the directions on the box of pasta. While the pasta is cooking, cut the green pepper, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and broccoli. I like to peel the cucumbers before I cut them. Drain the water from the pasta and place it in a large bowl. Add the shredded carrots, green peppers, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli and Italian dressing. Mix together so that the pasta and veggies are covered in the dressing. Serve immediately or keep in the refrigerator for up to three days.

-Kelsey

This Gluten Free & Dairy Free Pasta Salad is an easy yet delicious side dish that is ready in just 20 minutes! I love seeing you guys make my recipes, so make sure to tag me on Instagram @theglutenfreegrasses if you try this pasta salad!