Vegan Pasta Salad with Protein Punch

A great addition to your labor day table!

Always a crowd pleaser, this pasta salad is a solid anchor on any table. This salad is creamy, crunchy, chewy, and satisfies! Crumbled tofu sneaks in protein and adds texture. It’s a great side dish or add chickpeas and it’s a full meal. It lasts three days in the fridge and gets better every day. Be generous with the lemon juice!

Ingredients:

12 oz box tricolor rotini pasta

1 block firm or extra firm tofu, pressed (wrap in a paper towel, weight a plate with a few soup cans, wait ten minutes)

Vegetables, 1 cup each: grated carrot, diced tomato, diced red pepper, diced yellow pepper, diced red onion, sliced black olives

Dressing: 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/3 cup white wine vinegar, 1/2 cup mayo (regular or vegan), 2 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp salt, 1 TBS sugar, 1 tsp each onion powder, oregano, basil, 1/2 tsp mustard powder

Lemon juice (fresh is best)

Makes 12-14 1 cup servings

Directions:

Cook pasta al dente, drain, return to pot, let cool. Crumble pressed tofu into pot. Add chopped veggies, mix well. Stir dressing with whisk or fork until creamy, Add dressing to pot, mix well. Garnish with a good squeeze of lemon.

Every color in the rainbow makes this beautiful and delicious!