Colorful veggies, plus gluten-free pasta make a healthy summer pasta. With vinegar, bursts of sun-dried tomatoes and basil this is zesty! This light salad is also vegan by using roasted cauliflower in place of the typical chicken. Gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut and tree nut free; top eight free too! This Gluten & Dairy Free Roasted Cauliflower Pasta Salad is also vegan too!
Do cold pasta salads cause contention in your house too?
I love cold pasta salads. I could eat them any time of the year, but ESPECIALLY in the hot summer. If there’s a buffet or pot luck, I load up on them; whereas, my husband could care less for him.
It was an eye opener when I made a cold pasta salad soon after being married only to find out he didn’t like them. It was almost a deal breaker! I almost thought “How much time do I have to annul this marriage??”
Just kidding.
Thankfully, we’ve come to a compromise that I don’t make them all the time, and that I won’t be offended if he heats his up in the microwave. Marriage is all about compromise, right??
I love this pasta salad because it has bright, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil, salty olives and most of the spices and flavors come from jars! Both the sun dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts I use are marinated or have added spices to their liquid, so I just use that instead of plain olive oil and TA-DA…it’s spiced and flavored. Of course, you could use any brand, I just put the ones I use for ease.
I also love to have this for a light dinner or lunch–which is always nice to have a recipe that’s versatile like that.
This Gluten & Dairy Free Roasted Cauliflower Pasta Salad is as simple as boiling some pasta, roasting some cauliflower and dicing a few things. And, if you’re not a big cauliflower fan–I ask you to try it roasted. I don’t like it raw, but something magical happens when it browns up and cooks at a high temperature. Trust me on this! I also love that this is vegan, because it’s nice to not have to worry about cutting up and cooking chicken. But, if you’re a die-hard-meat fan…chicken would be good in it too. I’m just all about time savers over here! (And, less meat meats more money in my wallet usually!)
This Gluten & Dairy Free Roasted Cauliflower Pasta Salad is great because it makes a good portion, so there’s always leftovers–which just get better as they soak in those juices! In fact, I like to try and make this a few hours before serving it.
Enjoy if you’re a cold pasta salad lover like me, or if you have some haters you’re feeding, let them know that this is approved by even my husband.
DO I HAVE ANY OTHER GLUTEN AND DAIRY FREE PASTA SALAD RECIPES?
I told you I loved pasta salads! All of my pasta salads are: gluten, dairy and egg free. (With options to add those back in if you don’t need to avoid them.) Here’s to a summer full of delicious pasta salads!
- Gluten and dairy free Tuscan Pasta Salad
- Gluten and dairy free Taco Pasta Salad
- Gluten and dairy free Avocado BLT 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
Roasted Cauliflower Pasta Salad (Gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut & tree nut free; top 8 free; vegan)
Colorful veggies, plus gluten-free pasta make a healthy summer pasta. With vinegar, bursts of sun-dried tomatoes and basil this is zesty! This light dinner is also vegan by using roasted cauliflower in place of the typical chicken. Gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut and tree nut free; vegan, top eight free too!
Ingredients
- 1 can of black olives, drained and cut in half
- 1 can of Napoleon Artichokes Quartered & Marinated Hearts, cut + 1/4 cup of the liquid
- 1 jar of California Sun Dried Tomatoes Julienne Cut with Herbs, cut + 1/4 cup of the liquid
- One bunch of fresh basil, chopped
- 1 roma tomato, diced
- 1 Cauliflower
- Oil (olive or bacon grease if not doing vegan)
- Salt
- 8 oz gluten-free pasta of choice
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
- Wash and cut up your cauliflower into bite-sized florets. Place the cauliflower on a cookie sheet and drizzle with oil of your choice and toss a generous amount of salt on top. Move the cauliflower around to make sure it's evenly coated in the oil. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are browned and it's as soft as you prefer.
- While the cauliflower roasts make the pasta according to the package directions. Be sure to have plenty of water so you don't crowd the pasta and that you heavily salt the water to season the pasta. Once it's done, drain it and rinse it with cold water. Set it aside.
- Chop your olives, artichokes, sun dried tomatoes, basil and roma tomato to your liking.
- In a large bowl, put your cauliflower, pasta, olives, artichokes, sun dried tomatoes, roma tomato, basil and 1/4 cup of the liquid from each of the jars.
- Adjust S&P to your liking. Serve room temperature or cold to your liking. When not serving, keep refrigerated. Leftovers stay good for two days.
Notes
By all means, you don't have to do the two types of tomatoes, but to me--sun dried and regular are two different animals. If you only do one--be sure to do the sun dried tomatoes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 245Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 239mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 8gSugar: 9gProtein: 7g
Adapted from: Cybele Pascal’s The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook
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!
Elle @ Only Taste Matters
This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it!
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Thanks Elle!!
Alisa Fleming
OMG, this is allergy-friendly awesomeness! I love the idea of using roasted cauliflower rather than pasta – so much lighter and nourishing. Will have to try.
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Thanks Alisa!!
Sharon @ What The Fork Food Blog
Cauliflower is one of my favorite veggies so this sounds AMAZING !
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Thanks! Cauliflower fans UNITE! 🙂
Amanda
Summer deliciousness !In Florida, though, I can eat it year round!
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So jealous of year round summer. My hubby would actually like to eventually end up near Miami since he’s Haitian, and does Haitian genealogy as a side business. We’ll see! 😉
Cricket
Never had cauliflower and pasta together, sounds like a nice hearty combo!
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Thanks. Yes, it’s nice and filling for sure 🙂
amanda -runtothefinish
oh man my only issue is when I roast cauliflower i eat like the whole head at once, haha!! Such a great veggie packed meal!
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True! Thank goodness all the pasta and other veggies help you feel like you’re having more than just cauliflower. Thanks for the comment. 🙂
Megan @ MegUnprocessed
I love how colorful this dish is. A feast for the eyes and then we eat!
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Thanks Megan! Yes, the colors are the best.
Lauren Gaskill
This is my kind of pasta. Looks amazing!
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Thanks Lauren! 🙂
Keeley McGuire
I make cauliflower pasta salad frequently but I’ve never tried it roasting the cauliflower first! This looks delicious.
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Thanks Keeley! You’ll have to let me know how you like it roasted! 🙂
Georgianna Dolan-Reilly
This sounds great, I’m always looking for new and refreshing pasta salad recipe. I just wish I liked olives.
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Hey Georgianna–thanks! No worries, you could totally omit the olives 🙂
Lane & Holly @ With Two Spoons
I’m so with you on roasted cauliflower-magical!
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RIGHT??! Glad I’m not the only cauli-fan.
Kelly @ TastingPage
This is my kind of veggie-tastic meal. A bowl full of goodness!
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Thanks Kelly! Yes, veggies are the best!
Nutrimom
Great combination of flavors- I never would have thought to add cauliflower. Nice!
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Thank you! Yes, the cauliflower really sets it a part!
Raia
Beautiful salad! I love all the added veggies. 🙂
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Thanks! Yes, veggies make it so much better 🙂
Cindy Gordon (Vegetarian Mamma)
Now that looks like a delicious pasta meal! I would love that for dinner tonight! YUMMM
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Thanks Cindy! 🙂
jules
I just happened to have roasted some cauliflower and broccoli florets yesterday because they needed to be cooked – I guess I know how I’ll be serving them now! YUM!
~jules
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Meant to be!! Enjoy 🙂
Brianna Hobbs
I love all of the veggies in this pasta salad! That roasted cauliflower… YUM!
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Thank you! Yes, the more veggies the better 🙂
Alexa @ Flo & Grace
So many of my favorite foods are in that bowl—packed with so much vegetable goodness, too! Might have to try this one in my kids’ lunch boxes. 🙂
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Great idea to put it in lunch boxes! Thanks 🙂
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
I am a fan of any and all pasta salads! But I am so with you on a nice cold pasta salad in the summer! It’s a must!
Love the roasted cauli! Soo yum!
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Yes, pasta salads are the best! Thanks Rebecca!