High-Protein Crispy Pasta Salad

High-Protein Crispy Pasta Salad

This one came together with Sarah from plantbaes and it's exactly the kind of dish I love creating with her. Texture-driven, nutrient dense and packed with flavour. Pasta gets baked until golden and shatteringly crisp, then piled onto a fresh, herb-packed salad and finished with a creamy, tangy green goddess dressing made from blended herbs and silken tofu. The butterbeans and hemp seeds bring a solid hit of plant protein (33g per serve), while the avocado and pistachios add richness and crunch. It's the kind of dish that feels like a proper meal rather than "just a salad." Vibrant, filling, and best eaten straight away, while the pasta is still warm and crackly against the cold, creamy dressing.

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cook Time: 25 Minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

Crispy Pasta:

• 125 g dried pasta of choice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp sea salt flakes

Green Goddess Dressing:

• 1/2 cup fresh basil
• 2 tbsp fresh chives
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup fresh dill
• 155 g silken tofu
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp pickled jalapeños
• 2 tsp baby capers
• 2 tsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp hemp seeds
• sea salt flakes, to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Salad:

• 1 and 1/2 cups cooked butterbeans
• 1 cup baby spinach
• 1 cup arugula
• 1 medium cucumber, finely diced
• 2 scallions, finely sliced
• 1/2 avocado, diced
• 1/2 cup broccoli sprouts
• 2 tbsp pistachios, roughly chopped

Preparations:

1. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, then drain and rinse under cold water until cooled. Drain thoroughly or pat dry so there’s no excess water clinging to it.


2. Preheat the oven to fan-forced 200°C and line a baking tray with parchment paper.


3. Toss the cooled pasta with the olive oil, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and sea salt flakes until well coated. Spread it out in a single even layer on the tray and bake on the top rack, stirring halfway through, until golden and crispy. Baking time can vary slightly depending on the pasta shape used.


4. While the pasta bakes, blend the basil, chives, parsley, dill, silken tofu, lemon juice, jalapeños, capers, maple syrup, and hemp seeds with a pinch of salt and pepper until smooth. Pop it in the fridge to thicken while you prep the salad.


5. In a large bowl, combine the spinach, arugula, butterbeans, cucumber, scallions, avocado, broccoli sprouts, and pistachios.


6. Add the pasta to the salad while it’s still hot from the oven, drizzle generously with the dressing, toss to combine, and serve immediately.

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