- Prep-time: / Ready In:
- Makes 14 cups
- Serving size: 3½ cup
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This fruit-forward pasta salad, featuring fresh sweet cherries, will score you major points at your next summer potluck. (It’s also divine as a make-ahead lunch.) Cannellini beans, cherries, baby spinach, whole wheat rotini, bell peppers, and red onion are layered for eye-catching appeal, then topped with toasted almonds and more cherries. For a more casual presentation, invert the salad into a large bowl and toss before serving. Don’t forget the creamy Poppy Seed Dressing: It only takes a few minutes to whizz up in the blender, and it really ties it all together. Ready in 25 minutes, this vegan pasta salad is one to bookmark when cherries are in season.
Tips
Gluten-free version: To make this gluten-free, use gluten-free pasta.
For more inspiration, check out these tasty ideas:
- Veggie Potluck Pasta Salad
- Broccoli Pasta Salad with Red Pepper Pesto
- Grilled Peach and Blueberry Pasta Salad
- Or check out our complete roundup of great pasta salad recipes!
By Ellen Boeke,
Ingredients
- 12-oz. package extra-firm silken tofu, drained
- ⅓ cup white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1½ teaspoons dry mustard
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 3 cups dry whole wheat rotini pasta (8 oz.)
- 2 15-oz. cans no-salt-added cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (3 cups)
- 3 cups pitted fresh sweet cherries
- 1 5-oz. package fresh baby spinach (6 cups)
- 2 cups chopped orange and/or red bell peppers
- 1 cup slivered red onion
- ½ cup sliced almonds, toasted
Instructions
- To make Poppy Seed Dressing: In a food processor or blender combine the first seven ingredients (through sea salt). Process until smooth. Stir in poppy seeds.
- Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Rinse under cold water; drain well.
- In a 3- to 4-quart straight-sided glass bowl, such as a trifle bowl, layer beans, 2½ cups of the cherries, the spinach, pasta, bell peppers, and onion. Spoon Poppy Seed Dressing over top; carefully smooth the dressing to the edge of the bowl. Sprinkle top with the remaining ½ cup cherries and the almonds.
Per serving (3½ cup): 585 calories, 104 g carbohydrates, 27 g protein, 11 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 427 mg sodium, 21 g fiber, 24 g sugar
Note: Nutritional information is provided as an estimate only.
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