Vegan Pimento-ish Pasta Salad
Creamy, cheesy and VEGAN pasta salad with pimentos, cherry tomatoes, dill and green beans. Serve as an appetizer or main course. It's a crowd pleaser all around!
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 15 minutes mins
Chilling Time 15 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr
Course Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine American, Vegan
Servings 8 1-cup appetizer portions
- Kosher salt for pasta water and seasoning as needed
- 8 cups dried whole wheat farfalle pasta
- 2 cups green beans trimmed and cut into 1-2 inch pieces
- Olive oil for pan
- 1/3 cup diced pimentos
- 1 cup vegan cheddar *peferably from the brand Miyoko's Creamery
- 5 tbsp vegan avocado oil mayo
- 1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes sliced
- 1/2 cup fresh dill sprigs chopped
Fill a stockpot three quarters of the way full with water. Season generously with 2 tbsp of kosher salt, or the measurement of salt according to the box. Heat on high and bring the water to a boil.
Place a large, deep skillet on a burner that's set to medium heat. Season with 1-2 tbsp of olive oil, then add the pimentos. Season with a pinch of salt and stir.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until 2 minutes before the box says it's al dente. One minute before you reach 2 minute before al dente, add the green beans to the pot and blanch for 1 minute.
Transfer the pasta and green beans to the pot with the pimentos. Stir together.
Adjust the heat to low. Add the vegan cheddar and 2 tbsp of vegan mayo. Toss together until melted and combined. If the cheese and mayo are too sticky and not *saucy,* add about 1 tbsp of pasta water and continue mixing until nice and saucy. Add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Taste to make sure you like flavor. TASTING NOTES: If you want more sweetness, add more tomato paste. If you want more pimentos, add more. If you want more saltiness, add more vegan cheddar OR more pasta water. Don't make it super salty because the rest of the mayo is coming in later. Transfer the pasta to a large bowl. If serving quickly thereafter, put the bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes to bring the temperature down. If serving the next day or in 2 days, just cover and refrigerate until you're ready to serve.
Right before serving, add 3 more tbsp of mayo and mix. Add dill and cherry tomatoes and combine until all ingredients are evenly spread thorughout. If you would like the pasta salad to be creamier, add more vegan mayo to your taste, preferably 1 tbsp at a time. Enjoy!!
Keyword cherry tomatoes, farfalle, fresh dill, green beans, pimentos, vegan cheddar, vegan mayo