Pea Tendril Vegan Pasta Salad with Orange Dressing
This simple vegan pasta salad highlights an overlooked vegetable- the pea tendril- and wraps it up in a orange salad dressing with notes of sesame and ginger. Purple cabbage gives that extra little crunch, and toasted almonds and sesame seeds add touches of flavor and texture to keep every bite interesting and a little different than the last. It’s one of those dishes you think you understand, but each bite discovers a little new flavor, something different, and by the end of your bowl you find the flavor more interesting and intriguing than when you started. It’s not caked with mayonnaise, giving it a egg and oil flavor, but is dressed in a delicate balance of orange, ginger, sesame, and other flavors.
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Vegan Pasta Salad (AKA Mayo-Free Pasta Salad)
Like many things in life, pasta salad isn’t usually vegan but there’s no good reason that it shouldn’t be. At is essence, it is a cold pasta dish, and pasta is vegan. In this vegan pasta salad, we steered completely free of mayonnaise, but as the world gets more and more vegan friendly, we’ve reached a point where you really don’t have to. In the United States, vegan mayo is becoming as common as vegan milk. It’s one of those substitutions that I think everyone should make- vegan mayonnaise is virtually unrecognizable from conventional mayo (some say even better!), is better for animals and the planet, is comparable pricewise, and is moderately healthier for you. So if you have a traditional vegan pasta salad recipe, switch out the mayo for vegan mayo- you probably won’t even notice, and you’ll do a world of good. Let’s make pasta salad a vegan dish!
Looking for Vegan Pasta Dishes? Try one of these!
- Spring Stinging Nettle Pasta with Vegan Parmesan
- Mayo-Free Radish Mint Pasta Salad
- Spicy Vegan Cold Noodles, Sichuan Style
- Stir-Fried Korean Sweet Potato Noodles (Japchae) with Kale
- Savory Lemon Poppy-Seed Pasta
What Are Pea Tendrils? Cooking with Pea Tendrils
Although we all are accustomed to eating peapods, many of us (myself included) we not aware that the entire pea plant is actually edible! As it gets older, the plant becomes tougher and more bitter, so the ideal time to eat pea tendrils comes in the spring before the plant has produced any pods. Pea tendrils are sold with the shoots, leaves, and tendrils of the young plants and sometimes the edible flowers and are sometimes referred to as pea greens or pea shoots. The can be eaten raw or lightly cooked (treat them similarly to spinach). The taste profile is light and grassy, a little bit savory, similar to the more commonly eaten pods. I left the pea tendrils raw in this recipe, so I could appreciate fully their delicious, fresh, spring flavor.
Making this Pea Tendril Vegan Pasta Salad with Orange Dressing
Making this pasta salad is simple- first, boil water and make pasta. No problem. Next, chop up some veg- easy peasy (get it- peasy? Because of the pea tendrils?!?). Third, we toast some seeds and nuts- don’t burn them and you’re golden. Next measure out all of your dressing ingredients, and stick them in a jar. Shake it up well, and add all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix, and you’ve made vegan pasta salad! If it’s not pea tendril season, you can substitute the tendrils for chopped fresh peapods. Stick the whole bowl in the fridge until it’s time to eat, and you’ve got dinner done early!
Pea Tendril Vegan Pasta Salad with Orange, Ginger, and Sesame Dressing
Ingredients
- ½ lb. dried small pasta
- ¼ small red cabbage (about 2 cups), chopped into strips
- 2-3 cups pea tendrils, chopped into bite sized pieces
- 2 scallions, chopped finely
- A few sprigs of fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/3 cup slivered or chopped almonds
- 1 tbsp. sesame seeds
- 3 tbsp. orange marmalade
- 2 tbsp. sesame oil
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp. soy sauce
- 1 tsp. ground dried ginger
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil, and cook the pasta as directed on the package. Once cooked, strain and place in a large mixing bowl.
- Wash and chop the cabbage, pea tendrils, parsley, and scallions and add to the same large mixing bowl. In a small skillet, toast the almonds and sesame seeds on a medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant but not burnt. Add to the mixing bowl.
- Add all of the ingredients for the sauce in a small jar, and shake well to combine. Pour over the pasta salad, and stir, covering all of the ingredients in the dressing. Serve immediately, or chill until serving.
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