Super easy BBQ Pasta Salad with chewy pasta, chickpeas, corn, fresh veggies and a mega creamy flavourful BBQ dressing. The perfect vegan dish to make ahead of time for lunches, potlucks and gatherings!
A whole lot of fresh summery goodness is goin’ down today, friends! Made in under 20 minutes, this vegan BBQ Pasta Salad is packed with flavour. Creamy barbecue sauce tossed into chewy twirly noodles with corn, bell peppers and celery. These veggies add the perfect amount of sweetness to balance out the subtle heat and adds a ton of texture (hello crunch!) to each bite.
TL;DR: this bbq vegan chickpea pasta salad is summertime perfection.
Ingredients for BBQ Pasta Salad
This veggie pasta salad recipe is one of those use up any left over veggies in your fridge kinda meals. The main thing is the dressing:
- Cashew Cream: Makes the dressing super creamy without any added oils! You could also use vegan mayo or sour cream with adds a bit more tang.
- BBQ Sauce: I actually used this Chocolate BBQ Sauce this time around but use your favourite recipe or store bought BBQ sauce!
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Adds a bit more tang. If you’re using vegan mayo our sour cream you can omit it.
- Buffalo Hot Sauce: For a bit of a kick.
- Garlic Powder
- Chili Powder/Cayenne: if you like things extra spicy!
For the add-ins, you’ll need:
- Short Pasta: I used my favourite chickpea pasta for an extra boost of protein but any short pasta will do!
- Chickpeas: I personally just love chickpeas in pasta salads but you could also use red kidney beans or black beans! Even lentils if you wanted.
- Veggies: I used some left over corn, celery, bell peppers and green onions but you could honestly use any left over fresh veg you have! Avocado, zucchini, carrots, cucumbers, cauliflower would all be great.
How to make tasty pasta salads
- Cook the pasta
- Stir the dressing
- Toss everything together
And thats it. I mean, plus the chopping of the veggies and adding some salt and pepper here and there but you get the gist.
Also, I should note that like with most pasta salads, it tastes much better after letting it sit for an hour or two! Plus it’s super so much more refreshing straight out the fridge.
Ways to serve pasta salad
There are so many ways to serve this pasta salad (well, any pasta salad in general):
- a side dish to things like burgers, sandwiches, vegan chicken nuggets, pizza, vegan cheese and crackers… basically anything you want!
- or enjoy as a meal in its self
- great for packed lunches!
- perfect for potlucks and large gatherings
and tbh, even as a snack. Yes, you can snack on pasta salad straight out of the serving bowl (I mean, I do… hahaa).
More Healthy Summer Recipes to Try:
- Broccoli Salad with Creamy Dressing
- Kale Miso Caesar Salad with Smoky Tempeh
- Japanese Macaroni Salad
- Sesame Miso Soba Noodle Salad
- Tempeh BLT Pasta Salad
- Taco Pasta Salad
SAVE IT FOR LATER! ↓
If you recreate this BBQ Pasta Salad with Chickpeas recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
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BBQ Pasta Salad
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Super flavourful BBQ Pasta Salad that screams summer! Packed with chewy pasta, chickpeas, corn and lots of fresh veggies all tossed in a creamy barbecue sauce. (Vegan + Gluten Free)
Ingredients
- 8 oz short pasta (224g)
- 1/2 cup cashew cream (120g // or vegan mayo/sour cream)*
- 1/4–1/3 cup of your favourite BBQ sauce (60-80g)
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (15g)
- 2 tsp buffalo hot sauce (10g)
- 3/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp chili or cayenne powder, optional
- 1 cup fresh cooked or canned corn (180g)
- 2 celery stalks, chopped (110g)
- 1 small bell pepper, chopped (100g)
- 2 green onions, sliced (30g)
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas (400g // about 1 19oz can of chickpeas)
- cilantro for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Cook pasta until al dente following manufactures instructions. Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the cashew cream, bbq sauce, apple cider vinegar, hot sauce, garlic powder and chili powder.
- Add the cooked pasta, celery, corn, bell pepper, onions and chickpeas to a bowl. Pour in all the dressing and toss until everything is well coated.
- Serve right away with some cilantro or cover and keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
Notes
- If you don’t have any cashew cream, vegan mayo or sour cream on hand, add the dressing ingredients along with 1/2 cup of soaked cashews and 1/4-1/3 cup of filtered water to a high speed bender and blend until smooth.
- Helpful Equipment: mixing bowls
- Nutritional Information Disclaimer: Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated on an online tool (Cronometer).
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: sides
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: vegan, gluten free, north american
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 330
- Sugar: 13g
- Sodium: 424mg
- Fat: 9.7g
- Saturated Fat: 1.1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 50.6g
- Fiber: 11.6g
- Protein: 17.10g
- Cholesterol: 0
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