Layered Salad with Pasta and Homemade Vegan Mayonnaise

Salads are so versatile. They're a meal by themselves and a great way of getting your five-a-day.

This layered salad is simple but tasty and looks great when you serve it up. The mayonnaise is beyond delicious. Much tastier than regular mayo. Seriously! You must try it.

So why do I love salads so much? 

They come in so many forms and with a bit of imagination you could eat a different salad each day of the year.

Then there’s the dressing. 

Which Dressing?

You can dress your salad with a simple vinaigrette, a creamy dressing, pesto, hummus, mayonnaise, an Asian style dressing or simply some freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice.

To pimp your salad and give it a bit of crunch, why not top it with some nuts, seeds or croutons? 

I decided to make this colourful layered salad. It can be layered in individual dessert glasses, jam jars or a large glass bowl. I served it in my trifle bowl.

I started with a layer of bow pasta coated in a dairy free pesto. My next layer was salad leaves, then garlic sauteed chestnut mushrooms, then a layer of grated carrot, cucumber and a layer of tomatoes. I finished it of with another layer of salad leaves and more grated carrot.

How to make Vegan Mayonnaise

I finished my salad with homemade vegan mayonnaise. You could use regular mayonnaise, but this vegan mayonnaise is much nicer and not quite so calorific.

It’s a simple dressing to make. You start with unsweetened soya milk, wholegrain mustard, some lemon juice and black pepper in a blender. Whizz these up, while slowly drizzling in some olive oil. Once you have tried this, you will be loath to buy mayonnaise again.

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Layered Salad with Pasta and Homemade Vegan Mayonnaise

Written by Jacqueline Meldrum

August 22, 2015

A colourful layered salad with sauteed mushrooms, pasta and the most glorious (and easy) homemade vegan mayonnaise.

Ingredients

• 150 - 200g farfalle (bow) pasta
• 50-75 ml  olive oil
• 50g basil leaves
• 1 clove garlic
• 50g salted cashews
• 2 tsp  olive oil
• a good grinding black pepper
• 3 large mushrooms, sliced
• 3 carrots, coarsely grated
• 125g salad leaves
• 2 large ripe beef tomatoes, sliced
• 1 cucumber, sliced
• 50ml unsweetened soya milk
• 2 tsp wholegrain mustard
• 1tbsp lemon juice
• 150ml  olive oil

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions until al dente. When it is cooked, rinse under cold water until the pasta is cold. This is important when adding pasta to a salad, as it stops the pasta cooking and keeps it from going claggy.2. While the pasta is cooking, whizz up your all your pesto ingredients(ingredients 2,3,4 & 5) in a blender or food processor until almost smooth. A little bite is nice in a pesto. You can also grind a pesto in a pestle and mortar.3. Sauté the mushrooms in the olive oil with the garlic until tender. Season well with black pepper and set aside.4. Time to layer the salad. Mix the pesto through the pasta and add to your bowl, then a layer of salad leaves. Place your mushrooms on the salad leaves, then top with grated carrot. Next is a layer of cucumber, then a layer of tomato, followed by salad leaves and finally a layer of grated carrot.5. To make the mayonnaise dressing, add the soya milk, mustard, lemon juice and black pepper to a blender or food processor and whizz. While it’s blending, gradually drizzle in the olive oil which will emulsify the dressing into a thick, unctuous mayonnaise.6. Pour your mayonnaise on top of your salad and tuck in.7. Enjoy!Notes: You may need 2 bowls for this salad, unless you have a large bowl

Details

Total time: 20 mins
Yield: Serves 6

Before you go check out some of my favourite salads.

1. Rocket and Mozzarella Farfalle Salad
2. Butternut Squash, Puy Lentil and Rocket Salad
3. Conchiglioni Pasta Salad with Sautéed Mushrooms and Goats' Cheese
4. Creamy Vegan Potato Salad
5. The Best Summer Pasta Salad
6. Puy Lentil, Beet and Mozzarella Salad
7. Avocado, Apple & Hazelnut Salad
8. Artichoke, Red Pepper and Goats Cheese Salad
9. Bulgur Couscous and Puy Lentil Salad

Tune in next week for Meat Free Mondays
and a week full of sandwich ideas.