Vegan Caprese Pasta Salad

🧂 Ingredients

• 1 lbs pasta

  variety of your choice
• 1 red onion

  or ½ bunch of spring onions or chives or both
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes

  halved
• 1 avocado

  diced
• ⅓ cup balsamic dressing

  or sub pesto *see notes
• salt and pepper

  optional to taste
• red paprika or chili flakes
• 1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 4 tbsp pine nuts
• ½ recipe vegan mini mozzarella balls
• fresh basil

  to garnish

Instructions

• 1 Cook the pasta according to package instruction in a pot of salted water until
  al dente.
• 2 In the meantime, prepare the vegetables. Chop the onion, cut the cherry tomatoes
  in halves, and cut the pulp of one avocado into chunks (you can add more avocado
  for additional creaminess if you skip the vegan mozzarella).
• 3 Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Toast the pine nuts until slightly
  browned and toasted from all sides. (Keep an eye on the pine nuts and stir them
  often as they tend to burn quickly). Then remove from the pan and set aside.
• 4 Once your pasta is al dente, drain over a sieve and rinse with cold water to
  stop the cooking process. Drain well again, then transfer the cooked pasta into
  a large bowl.
• 5 Pour in 3-4 tablespoons of the dressing
  [https://biancazapatka.com/en/balsamic-vinaigrette-dressing/] and toss gently to
  combine, this will prevent the pasta from sticking together. (If cooking the
  pasta ahead of time, you can keep it that way covered in the refrigerator until
  ready to serve).
• 6 When ready to serve, add in all the vegetables (onions, tomatoes, avocado) and
  remaininghttps://biancazapatka.com/en/balsamic-vinaigrette-dressing/ dressing
  and gently toss to combine. Optional to taste, add seasonings such as salt,
  black pepper, red paprika, or chili for spiciness and a squeeze of fresh lemon
  juice.
• 7 Serve your Caprese pasta salad in bowls and garnish with vegan mini mozzarella
  balls [https://biancazapatka.com/en/vegan-mini-mozzarella-cheese-balls/], fresh
  basil, and toasted pine nuts. Enjoy!

Nutrition Info