This Gluten & Dairy Free Creamy Bacon, Pea and Lemon Pasta Salad is a delicious pasta salad you can enjoy this summer, or any time you want an entrée pasta salad. Salty bacon, sweet peas and a creamy lemon sauce gives you a perfectly blended pasta salad that can feed many people due to the fact that it’s free of: gluten, dairy, soy, egg, peanut, and tree nuts. Serve this at your next picnic or BBQ and you’ll have raving reviews.
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Why I love this Bacon, Pea & Lemon Pasta Salad
What is it about bacon and pea pasta salad? The salty bacon and the sweet peas were just a match made in heaven. Add in carbs and drench it all in a creamy lemon sauce and VIOLA you have a fantastic pasta salad that is filling enough to be a main dish. While I love pasta salads, I prefer mine to be a main dish, because I don’t want to still have to worry about making the entrée. I love when it’s all done in one bowl! You will love this pasta salad whether on your own, or sharing it with friends and family this summer at potlucks.
How is this Bacon, Pea & Lemon Pasta gluten free?
One of the main reasons I like to cook from scratch, and make my own dressings is to make sure that I have total control over my ingredients, and that I’m not using processed things that may have gluten hiding in them.
Since the dressing is homemade, and has no gluten in it as a thickener (which many do) all I had to do was use my favorite gluten free pasta to make sure that this pasta salad was gluten free. I enjoy Barilla or Jovial. Feel free to use whatever short gluten free pasta you like (it doesn’t have to be curly either–whatever kind is safe and easy to find.)
If you don’t need it to be gluten free, feel free to use regular wheat pasta.
How is this a dairy free pasta salad?
Creamy pasta salads can be difficult to do without dairy, but it can be done! Instead of relying on sour cream or cream cheese I rely on mayo.
To help get a cheesy flavor, I use nutritional yeast. If you’ve never had nutritional yeast before, it is a great cheese flavor substitute. I also like it, because it helps thicken the sauce.
Some people say they don’t like nutritional yeast. I personally wouldn’t eat it plain, but when used with the right spices and combinations I think it’s a really great dairy-free cheese substitute.
If you have leftover nutritional yeast, here are some other nutritional yeast recipes that I think work really well with it.
If you only need this pasta salad to be gluten free and not dairy free, use the same amount of parmesan cheese instead of nutritional yeast.
What egg-free mayo do I use in this pasta salad?
My son also has an allergy to eggs, so we use a vegan mayo (even though we still use meat in the recipe.) Thankfully, egg free mayo has come a long way.
We like Best Foods (also known as Hellman’s) mayo best. It really is a spot on substitution. Here are their ingredients, according to their website:
- Sunflower oil, water, modified food starch (potato, corn), distilled vinegar, contains 2% or less of each of the following: sugar, salt, lemon juice concentrate, sorbic acid and calcium disodium EDTA (used to protect quality, sorbic acid (used to protect quality) calcium disodium EDTA (used to protect quality) natural flavor, paprika extract
*Be ware, that I’ve heard their “heavy duty vegan mayo” has different ingredients, but haven’t been able to confirm this.
If you don’t have egg allergies, feel free to use whatever mayo you prefer.
How is this Bacon, Pea and Lemon Pasta Salad allergy friendly?
If you follow this recipe as is written, this pasta salad will be free of the eight major allergens. This is free of: gluten, wheat, dairy, egg, soy, fish, shellfish, peanut and tree nuts. This makes this pasta salad top-8-free! The only reason why it might not be, is if you use a different vegan mayo, and some may have soybean oil. However, many people with a soy allergy can handle soybean oil, talk to your allergist if this would work for you.
Are there other gluten and dairy free pasta salads?
Yes! I love pasta salads, not just in the summer, but all year round. Here are some other dairy and gluten free pasta salads you need to try:
- Gluten and dairy free Tuscan Pasta Salad
- Gluten and dairy free Avocado BLT Pasta Salad
- Gluten and dairy free Asian Spinach Pasta Salad
- Gluten and dairy free Roasted Cauliflower Pasta Salad
- Gluten and dairy free Basil, Lemon and Avocado Creamy Pasta Salad
- Gluten and dairy free Ham, Asparagus and Lemon Pasta Salad
- Gluten and dairy free Taco Pasta Salad
DO I have a video showing how to make Gluten & Dairy Free Bacon, Pea & Lemon Pasta Salad?
Yes I do! I made a Tiktok video, which is a short and sweet video giving you a general overview of how to make this recipe. Enjoy!
@allergyawesomenessBacon & Pea Pasta Salad with Lemon Herb Dressing ##glutenfreedairyfree ##allergyfriendlyrecipes ##top8free
Creamy Bacon, Pea & Lemon Pasta
Salty bacon, sweet peas & a creamy lemon sauce gives you a perfect pasta salad that can feed many people since it's gluten & dairy free.
Ingredients
PASTA INGREDIENTS:
- 12 oz. small gluten-free pasta of choice
- 1 and 1/2 cups frozen petite peas, thawed
- 12 oz. thick cut bacon cooked and chopped
- 1 large chicken breast, cooked and cubed (optional)
CREAMY LEMON DRESSING INGREDIENTS:
- 2/3Â cup vegan mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 2-3 Tablespoons lemon juiceÂ
- 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 Tablespoon dried chives
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2Â tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp sugar
Instructions
1. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente, drain and set aside.
2. Cook, drain and crumble your bacon, set aside.
3. Dice your cooked chicken breast. (Great for using a rotisserie or leftover chicken too.)
3. In a blender, place all of the dressing ingredients and blend until combined and smooth. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to your liking.
4. In a large serving bowl, combine your pasta, bacon, peas, and diced chicken. Pour the sauce over the top. Feel free to use all of the sauce, or just until it's coated to your liking.
5. Serve warm, or chilled.
5. Keep leftovers in an air tight container for 2-3 days in the fridge.
Notes
If you're not wanting this to be an entrée salad, and more of a side salad, you can omit the cooked chicken breast.
If you're looking for some gluten and dairy free dinners, check out my cookbook:Â An Allergy Mom's Lifesaving Instant Pot Cookbook.
*Our allergies, while severe and that get re-tested yearly, are such that we can go strictly by what's on the label. I do not call companies to see what things are derived from, or call manufacturers to see about potential cross contact. If your allergies require you to do so, please do your own homework. I cannot assure you of any ingredient's safety, only you can do that. I simply share what works for our family.
**If you are going to feed this to someone with food allergies, and you yourself do not have food allergies, I HIGHLY recommend having them check every single brand and ingredient you are using, to ensure they're OK with each part of the recipe. And, to make sure you've talked to them about how to avoid cross contamination in your kitchen.
Adapted from the talented: Carlsbad Cravings
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 568Total Fat: 45gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 33gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 1326mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 29g
DON’T FORGET TO PIN IT, SO YOU DON’T LOSE IT. WHILE THERE, BE SURE TO CHECK OUT ALL OF MY OTHER ALLERGY FRIENDLY PINTEREST BOARDS!
Hi! I’m Megan, a mom to four kids, two with multiple food allergies & one with EOE. I’m a published cookbook author that constantly tweaks recipes to make them allergy friendly–it’s an addiction. I share every recipe & tip with the hope that they help you as you manage your food allergies & dietary restrictions. You can still be awesome, even with food allergies!
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