The following Vegan Meal Prep Pasta Salad is a recipe from Toni Okamoto’s brand-new cookbook, Plant-Based on a Budget Quick & Easy. Toni is the founder of Plant-Based on a Budget, the popular website and social media platform that teaches millions how to eat more plants without breaking their budget. When she’s not cooking up a plant-based storm, she’s spending time with her husband and their rescued pit bull in Sacramento, CA.
Vegan Meal Prep Pasta Salad
This colorful, veggie-packed pasta salad is a stellar make-ahead lunch option for the week, as the flavors continue to improve with each day! The beans and olives add heartiness, so you’ll be satiated straight through until dinnertime.
What You’ll Need
- Your favorite pasta
- Canned garbanzo beans
- Cucumber
- Cherry tomatoes
- Red or yellow onion
- Fresh curly parsley
- Sliced black olives
- Balsamic vinegar
- Lemon juice
- Olive oil
- Salt and black pepper
Optional swaps
- Omit the oil
- Swap the black olives for other olive varieties
Vegan Meal Prep Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 1-pound package your favorite pasta
- 1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 small cucumber - diced
- 11/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 small red or yellow onion - diced
- 1/2 cup minced fresh curly parsley
- 1 2.25-ounce can sliced black olives, drained
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and black pepper - to taste
Optional swaps:
- Omit the oil
- Swap the black olives for 1/2 cup other olive
- varieties
Instructions
- 1. In a large pot, cook the pasta according to the package instructions until tender. Drain.
- 2. While the pasta cooks, combine the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and mix them together.
- 3. Add the cooked pasta and thoroughly combine. Allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.
- 4. For meal prepping, divide the pasta salad into airtight containers in individual servings and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Equipment
Reprinted with permission from Plant-Based on a Budget Quick & Easy, 2023, BenBella Books. Photo Copyright: Toni Okamoto. Click here to order a copy.
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About the Cookbook
Popular budget-conscious and plant-based chef Toni Okamoto is back to make mealtime delicious, affordable, and easier than ever—with 100 vegan recipes for meal prep, one-pot and one-pan meals, make-ahead dishes, sheet pan suppers, and more.
When we’re crunched for time, cooking something healthy and tasty often falls off our to-do lists. But with a little planning (and some smart recipes), eating well can fit into even the busiest day. In this follow-up to her bestselling Plant-Based on a Budget, Toni Okamoto turns her attention to recipes that save you time and energy in the kitchen—and, of course, save you money, too!
In Plant-Based on a Budget Quick & Easy, Toni shares creative ways to cut down on active kitchen time without having to invest in a ton of expensive equipment or resort to pricey premade foods. If meal prep isn’t your jam, never fear; Toni offers so much more. Chapters focus on time-saving strategies like make-ahead breakfasts, one-pot or one-pan dishes, sheet pan makes and casseroles, 30-minute mains, and even simple snacks and desserts. Many recipes can be made oil-free, and Toni offers plenty of adaptations for your pressure cooker and air fryer.
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If you enjoyed this meal prep salad, you might also like these Vegan Miso-Butter Smashed Potatoes by Luce Hosier. Click here for the recipe.
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Connect with Toni Okamoto on instagram (@plantbasedonabudget) and find more recipes at plantbasedonabudget.com.
I am a vegetarian and this Pasta Salad recipe is great!
I absolutely love this recipe. I have been eating this every day since I found it. Thank you 🩷