Pasta Salad - Gluten Free, Top 8 Allergen Free

If you’re looking for a delicious dairy free, gluten free pasta salad recipe, this is it!

Pasta salad is a summer staple; whether at the BBQ, for a chilled lunch, or as a packable picnic food. Pasta salad is always a crowd pleaser and there are so many ways to prepare it. It’s common to find dairy products like cheese (commonly bocconcini or cubed feta) or creamy dressings in pasta salad, or egg products like chopped boiled egg or egg noodles. The noodles themselves are typically traditional wheat pasta. So how do we make this dish allergy friendly, dairy free, and gluten free?

With a few simple swaps - it’s easy!

Swap out the traditional wheat noodles for a gluten free pasta. I used brown rice pasta in this recipe, however you can easily use any gluten free pasta that is allergy safe for you. If you are not gluten free, you can use a traditional wheat pasta in equal measure.

Find other sources of umami flavour. The reason cheese is so commonly added to pasta salad is because of the deep savory flavour called umami. Add sun dried tomatoes instead to get that depth without the dairy.

Swap out the creamy dressing for a delicious zesty dressing. Creaminess is not required in a pasta salad - in fact, this bright and zesty dressing is much lighter for a summer afternoon and brings out the flavours of all the fresh ingredients used in this dish.

Looking for protein? Chopped egg, cheese, or canned tuna are commonly found in pasta salads for protein. This recipe can easily be pumped up with protein by adding a can of well-rinsed white kidney beans. If fish is allergy safe for you, and you want to add it to this dish, use a tuna packed in olive oil for best flavour.

You might also like my video on how to make dairy free buttery spread:

Pasta Salad - Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Top 8 Allergen Free

Ingredients for Pasta Salad - Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Top 8 Allergen Free

• 1 package of gluten free rice pasta (fusilli or elbows work best) ~300 - 350g dry pasta, cooked

• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

• 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic

• 2 good handfuls of fresh basil, julienned (about 40g loose basil leaves)

• 8 - 10 rehydrated sun dried tomatoes, sliced

• 8 - 10 cocktail tomatoes, cut into quarters

• 2/3 cup olive oil

• 1 tbsp dried oregano

• 1/3 cup lemon juice

• salt to taste

• 1 tsp ground black pepper

How to make Pasta Salad - Gluten Free, Top 8 Allergen Free

1. Boil the pasta and drain it well. Then rinse with cold water. While this is sacrilegious with wheat pasta, it will not harm the structure of gluten free pastas. If using a rice pasta, you should rinse it especially well as the residual starch can become very gummy. This will also cool the pasta down.

2. Add the cooked pasta, bell pepper, garlic, basil, sun dried tomatoes, and cocktail tomatoes to a large serving bowl. Do not mix yet as gluten free pastas are often prone to tearing, and we want to keep the noodles as intact as possible.

3. Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, salt, and black pepper together in a small bowl.

4. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until just combined. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.

5. Store in the fridge (either in an airtight container, or cover the bowl with plastic wrap) until ready to serve. If the pasta has absorbed much of the dressing, add a touch more olive oil to loosen it up. You can make this pasta salad the day before you plan to serve it as it keeps well in the fridge.

Serves 6