Tomato Broccoli and Beans Pesto Pasta Salad (Vegan)
This fresh and delicious Tomato Broccoli and Beans Pesto Pasta Salad has a herby pesto dressing and comes together in about 15 minutes. Plus it’s naturally plant-based, easily gluten-free and high in fibre and protein.
Pasta doesn’t always get the love it deserves when people are looking for high fibre and high protein recipes, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Pair your pasta with a range of veggies (cooked or raw), add some healthy fats, add a protein source (like beans or legumes) and make sure to add some extra fibre (like nuts or seeds on top). Bonus points for choosing a higher fibre pasta, too, like this one from Babbo which is made from Senatore Cappelli – a “heritage wheat prized for its naturally rich flavour and high fibre content” (most pasta is made from durum wheat, which is still great but may have a slightly lower fibre content than this particular one). It tastes amazing, has a great bite and I love the texture, too.
Why will I love this pasta?
This pasta is so good:
- Fresh, quick and so satisfying
- High in fibre
- From the pasta, veggies and beans
- A great source of protein
- From the butterbeans
- With vegan “stracciatella” cheese on top
- A light miso pesto dressing
- Rich with vitamins and minerals
- Ready in the time it takes to cook pasta
- No other cooking involved
- Great for meal prep
- Delicious for lunch or dinner
- Ideal for the summer
- Bring to picnics and BBQs
- Naturally plant-based, egg-free and dairy-free
- Easily gluten-free and nut-free
- Everyone will love it
- You can use other veggies or beans, too
- Swap or add in your favourite protein of choice
- Vibrant, nourishing and wholesome
If you already love the sound of this recipe, then skip ahead to the recipe card below. Or, first let’s discuss the recipe in more detail.
What ingredients do I need?
You can see the ingredients with weights in the recipe card below and see my favourite and recommended products in the “shop the recipe” section.
For the pasta:
- Pasta shapes: I use mezzi rigatoni from Babbo foods.
- Broccoli: boil or steam this while you cook the pasta.
- Cherry tomatoes: chopped into ½ or ¼.
- Baby spinach: chopped small. Or use kale, chopped up.
- Butterbeans: I use the juicy beans from Bold Bean Co but you can use your preferred protein.
- Fresh herbs: like mint, basil, or parsley.
- Olives:
- Vegan stracciatella cheese: this is from Julienne Bruno and is so delicious! It’s fully vegan and has a great flavour and texture.
- White sesame seeds: for some crunch on top.
And for the pesto:
- Miso pesto: this is from Ottolenghi’s range and is naturally vegan, but you can use regular pesto, too. You can also make your own pesto – try my recipe here.
- Extra virgin olive oil: the better the quality and flavour, the tastier the dressing.
- Lemon: the juice for tang.
- Chilli salt: this is from Cornish Sea Salt and has such a great flavour, but you can use some regular salt and a pinch of chilli flakes, too.
- Black pepper: to season.
Is this gluten-free and nut-free?
Make sure you use gluten-free pasta to make it GF and check that your pesto does not contain nuts.
How do I make this?
This is ready in a few steps:
- Cook the pasta in a pot until al dente: and cook the broccoli in sieve over the top to steam it.
- Chop the veggies: as you like them.
- Stir together the pesto ingredients: until smooth.
- Toss together all of the veggies with the pasta and beans: and dressing, too.
- Plate up and top with sesame seeds and the vegan stracciatella: and enjoy.
How long will it last?
This will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge in a sealed container.
What other recipes can I try?
For more fresh pasta dishes:
- Sticky Tofu Halloumi Orzo Pasta Salad
- Creamy Herby Pasta With Greens and Beans
- Creamy Lemon Pasta with Charred Courgettes and Corn
- Pistachio Pesto Pasta Salad
- Mediterranean Pasta Salad with Chickpeas
Tomato Broccoli and Beans Pesto Pasta Salad (Vegan)
This fresh and delicious Tomato Broccoli and Beans Pesto Pasta Salad has a herby pesto dressing and comes together in about 15 minutes. Plus it’s naturally plant-based, easily gluten-free and high in fibre and protein.
Ingredients
For the Pasta:
- 160-200g pasta of choice
- 160g broccoli, chopped into small pieces
- 1 large handful cherry tomatoes, in ¼
- 2 handfuls baby spinach, chopped
- 1 tin butterbeans (240g drained weight)
- Fresh basil, mint, parsley, as desired
- 100g olives, destone and in ½
- 80g vegan stracciatella cheese*
- 2 tbsp white sesame seeds
For the Pesto:
- 2 tbsp miso pesto
- 1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ lemon, juiced
- A pinch of chilli salt
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pan of water to boil and then add in the pasta. While the pasta cooks until al dente, place the broccoli over the pan in a sieve and allow to steam/boil. Remove the broccoli when it’s bright green and has softened but still has some bite.
- Prepare the other salad components. Drain and rinse the beans.
- For the dressing, add all of the ingredients to a glass jar or bowl, place a lid on and shake to mix. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Add the cooked pasta to a bowl with the broccoli, tomatoes, spinach, beans, fresh herbs and toss all together.
- Divide between bowls, top with the vegan stracciatella cheese and sesame seeds.
- Eat straight away or allow to cool and keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Notes
*I use the Super Straccia from Julienne Bruno, or use vegan cream cheese.
Shop the recipe
Stay in touch
I look forward to hearing what you think of this Tomato Broccoli and Beans Pesto Pasta Salad so please let me know in the comments below and leave a star review above. If you do make this, I’d love to see so please tag me, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also
With pasta love x
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