There’s nothing quite like grilling season.

Something about it just makes me so happy.

So when my buddy, Ricki from Diet, Dessert n’ Dogs brought up the idea of doing a recipe round-up with all of your favorite gluten-free Grillin’ and Chillin’ recipes…I simply couldn’t resist.

I wanted to prepare a simple pasta salad that could feed a crowd and stand up to all the wine or cocktails that you’ll be downing at your BBQ.

After going back n’ forth with a few different side dishes, I decided to go with this fun elbow pasta salad that’s just so darn cute. Aren’t elbow macaroni’s adorable? They remind me of being a kid and make me smile- so I thought I’d used them in this fun dish.

Let me tell you, you’ll need a whole lotta this pasta salad to serve with your grillin’ main course because it’s pretty darn good.

I kid you not- this is the third time I’ve made this for my family in one week.

Yes, it is that good.

Must be the mixture of potatoes n’ pasta (BBQ staples) tossed with eye popping green peas, fresh red bell peppers. fresh dill and cashews.

I used Vegenaise Soy-Free Mayo for those of you who may be vegan but you can surely use regular Mayo  or plain Greek yogurt if you prefer.

The cashews were a last minute toss-in; they weren’t planned but I needed something to create more of a creamy consistency in every bite.

And the cashews did just that- creamy goodness.

I think I picked out all the cashews to nibble on before it was served…gosh those nuts are so addicting, aren’t they?

Hehe…

Everyone seemed to love this pasta salad and it was the perfect side dish to go with a grilled piece of tofu, chicken or fish.

As you know there are a million and one variations of pasta salad on the internet, but I thought I’d switch this one up a bit with the potato addition.

I loved it.

And I think you will too! It’s a great dish to serve at your next grillin’ or chillin’ event- whether it be a BBQ or picnic.

So, go ahead and break out your finest grillin’ or chillin’ recipe and share with us how you keep cool in the summer heat.

And be sure to check out Ricki’s Meaty Eggplant Burgers for a main dish to serve with this pasta dish!

Cashew Dill Pasta Salad

Serves: 4

 

Print

Prep

10 minutes

Cook

20 minutes

Total

30 minutes

 

Gluten-Free and Vegan

Author: Amie Valpone

Recipe type: Entree

Ingredients

• 4 medium red potatoes
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 1/4 pound gluten-free elbow pasta cooked and drained
• 1/2 cup Soy-Free Vegenaise
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper finely chopped
• 1/2 medium white onion finely chopped
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh dill leaves torn into pieces
• ¼ cup cashews
• ½ tsp. sea salt
• ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Place potatoes in a small stockpot; cover with cold salted water. Cook over high heat, bring to a boil then reduce to medium heat and cook until fork-tender, about 8-9 minutes. Remove from heat; drain in a colander and set aside to cool. Cut cooked potatoes into 3/4-inch cubes.
2. Fill a small saucepan with salted water, and bring to a boil. Add frozen peas; cook according to package, then drain. In a large bowl, combine cooked peas, potatoes and elbow pasta. Set aside.
3. In a separate medium mixing bowl combine Vegenaise, balsamic vinegar and olive oil; mix well to combine. Fold balsamic mixture into potato and pasta salad. Add red bell pepper, white onion, Dijon mustard, fresh dill, cashews, sea salt and pepper; gently toss to combine.
4. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately or cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
5. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Nutrition Facts

Cashew Dill Pasta Salad

Amount Per Serving (4 g)

Calories 591 Calories from Fat 243

% Daily Value*

Fat 27g42%

Saturated Fat 3g19%

Sodium 527mg23%

Potassium 1325mg38%

Carbohydrates 74g25%

Fiber 9g38%

Sugar 10g11%

Protein 12g24%

Vitamin A 1955IU39%

Vitamin C 91.3mg111%

Calcium 61mg6%

Iron 4.2mg23%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

You can link up your recipe below. Remember it’s for plant-based only foods and recipes that fall into the “grillin and chillin” category ( anything made on the grill and anything served cold).  You’ll have until midnight on Sunday, July 22nd to link up at which time the linky will close. Make sure you include a link to this post on your blog page if you want to link up!