Summer Green Pesto Pasta Salad with Tofu, Zucchini, and Asparagus is a delicious vegan summer dish, perfect for a picnic or meal-prep.

We have just learned that the weather will soon turn to rain and cold, and this makes me so sad. We have maybe 3 days of Summer left and then it’s bye-bye until next year.

I’ve been dreading this day but optimistically thought I would have more days than this. 

I like the changing of seasons and of produce, but Summer is still my favorite season and it always goes by so fast. Too fast. 

But, as long as Summer lasts, we’ll be having summer foods, and a pasta salad fits perfectly.

We have been meal-prepping more and more the past weeks. I love it, as it frees up my time. I just take 2 hours every couple of days, prep in batch for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and then when we’re hungry, we just take a container out of the fridge, and it’s mealtime!

So cooking for meal-prep is a bit different than when you eat your meal straight away, as not all ingredients work cold or reheated. But you can’t go wrong with a pasta salad, especially with a Vegan Green Pesto Pasta Salad, loaded with vegetables and with tofu as your protein source.

How do I make the Pesto Pasta Salad

Making this Vegan Green Pesto Pasta Salad is simple, but it does require a bit of cooking. First, you’ll want to cook your pasta, drain it and cool it down.

Then, you’ll need to pan-fry your tofu (see the recipe for details), zucchini and asparagus. I recommend doing that separately, so as to preserve the crispiness of the vegetables (don’t overload the pan!)

Lastly, you just toss everything in a big bowl along with some spoons of green pesto and toss to combine.

If you have homemade green pesto, that’s great, but we just used a store-bought one and it worked perfectly, so don’t fuss about it.

How can I store this Green Pesto Pasta Salad

This recipe works really well for meal-prep, as the pasta salad will keep refrigerated for up to 3 days. Once you’ve prepared it, just divide into air-tight containers and store in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.

And, if you don’t like your pasta cold, add a sprinkle of water, reheat and enjoy hot.

Vegan Green Pesto Pasta Salad

Yield: 3

Summer Green Pesto Pasta Salad with Tofu, Zucchini, and Asparagus is a delicious vegan summer dish, perfect for a picnic or meal-prep.

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Ingredients

• 250 grams pasta (small shape)
• 200 grams tofu (smoked)
• 1 zucchini
• 200 grams asparagus
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 4 tbs green pesto (store-bought)
• 1 tbs olive oil
• pinch of salt
• dash of black pepper
• a handful of basil leaves

Instructions

1. Remove the tofu from packaging, place on a plate and cover with some baking paper. Then, top evenly with a heavy pot and let rest for about 15 minutes, so the excess liquid drips out.
2. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a pot of salted water according to package instructions. Drain and cool once cooked, then place in a large bowl. Add green pesto and coat evenly.
3. Slice zucchini, remove tough stems from the asparagus and cut into smaller pieces. Leave the asparagus peaks whole.
4. Pat the tofu dry with a paper towel and dice. Heat a spoon of oil in a large pan and toss in the tofu. Fry until golden brown on all sides, then remove from pan and add to the pesto pasta in the bowl.
5. To the same pan, add sliced zucchini, season lightly with salt and pepper and stir-fry until golden brown, then remove from pan and add to the pesto pasta.
6. Lastly, add asparagus to the pan and stir-fry until soft, season with salt and pepper to taste, then remove from pan and add to the pasta.
7. Cut the cherry tomatoes and add to the pasta, then toss to mix everything.
8. Decorate with fresh basil leaves and serve.

Notes

This dish will keep in refrigerated in an air-tight container for up to 3 days and is perfect for meal-prep.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 3 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 374Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 169mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 5gSugar: 5gProtein: 17g

Nutrition data is automatically calculated using Nutritionix and may not be accurate.

This recipe is sponsored by Hofer Slovenija (you may also know it as Aldi). It is our favorite grocery store and we love their products. If you are from Slovenia, do head over to  Hofer’s Instagram account for even more delicious recipes!

If you like this recipe, you can let us know in the comments below or on social media using #vibrantplate and tag us @vibrantplate. We’re always happy to read your feedback and LOVE seeing your take on our recipes.

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