• Prep-time: / Ready In:
  • Serves 6
  • Serving size: ⅙ of recipe
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This quick and easy pasta salad recipe mixes frozen vegetables and prepared salad dressing with chopped onion and fresh basil for a nice balance of freshness and convenience. Chose a colorful frozen vegetable blend that appeals to you. Perfect for kids, it's a great addition to packed school or work lunches. This pasta salad will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days in an airtight container.

By Del Sroufe,

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces dried whole grain fusilli pasta
  • 1 16-ounce package frozen mixed vegetables
  • 1 cup snipped fresh basil
  • ½ cup finely chopped red onion
  • 1 to 1½ cups fat-free Italian or balsamic salad dressing
  • Sea salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • In a large pot, cook the pasta according to package directions, adding frozen vegetables for the last 5 minutes of cooking; drain. Rinse cooked pasta with cold water; drain again.
  • Transfer pasta mixture to a large bowl. Stir in basil and onion. Drizzle with dressing, and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Nutritional Information:

Per serving (⅙ of recipe): 415 calories, 61 g carbohydrates, 10 g protein, 14 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 623 mg sodium, 5.1 g fiber, 8.3 g sugar

Note: Nutritional information is provided as an estimate only.

Comments (5)

(5 from 1 vote)

Recipe Rating

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Joann

This recipe was so easy. I decided to change it a little. I used 6 oz. of pasta and replaced it with 2 cans of black-eyed peas. I made a simple Italian dressing recipe that was creamy because it had some tahini in it. Also, one cup of the salad dressing was plenty.

Peggy Barr

I will make some of the pasta salads soon!

Stacey

Can you recommend a specific dressing to use?

Megan Edwards

Hi Stacey, We have a few tasty dressing recipes of our own that you could try out! For this recipe, we recommend using either the <a href="https://www.forksoverknives.com/recipes/vegan-sauces-condiments/oil-free-balsamic-dressing/">2-Minute Oil-Free Balsamic Dressing</a> or the <a href="https://www.forksoverknives.com/recipes/vegan-sauces-condiments/vegan-creamy-italian-dressing/">Vegan Creamy Italian Dressing</a>. Let us know how it goes!

Trinity Holston

This recipe is fantastic. It has many components that make it simple and tasty. It takes little time to make, and the ingredients needed didn't cost me a lot. I had most of them in my pantry, so it was a quick trip for the fusilli and sea salt. I would recommend this to all my friends and definitely use it again.

About the Author

Headshot of Def Sroufe

About the Author

Del Sroufe

Chef Del Sroufe currently works as Culinary Specialist at the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies (CNS) and host of CNS Kitchen, a free CNS community that offers members all the tools they need to live a successful whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) lifestyle. Sroufe has been cooking in vegetarian, vegan, and WFPB kitchens for 34 years. He has operated his own vegan bakery and a vegan meal-delivery service. He was the executive chef at Wellness Forum Foods, where he ran a successful catering service. He developed a line of in-the-bag mixes that could be shipped all over the country and taught cooking classes to the public and health care professionals looking to offer culinary education to their clients. Del is a public speaker and cookbook author. His first cookbook, Forks Over Knives: The Cookbook, was on the New York Times Bestseller list for more than 37 weeks. He also authored Better Than Vegan, which tells the story of his struggle with weight management and how he lost more than 200 pounds on a low-fat, plant-based diet. Sroufe’s other cookbooks include The China Study Quick and Easy Cookbook and The China Study Family Cookbook.
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