Expanding upon the hemp seed pesto I shared earlier, this is the perfect pasta salad to make using up any leftovers! It’s summer-friendly loaded with fresh and seasonal ingredients, like roasted corn and cherry tomatoes. Plus you get the added benefit of a chill side that can be thrown together in less than 20 minutes flat. It’s great made a day in advance if you’re planning ahead too.
I know not everyone is a fan of arugula, you can replace that with baby spinach or omit it altogether. Adjust accordingly to your tastebuds. This is also killer with a sprinkle of coconut bacon and even more sunflower seed parmesan, if you want to kick up the flavor even more.
I’m still on a zero-cooking kick, as you can tell by the past couple months of recipes. But I thought something as simple as boiling water didn’t classify as requiring much effort in the cooking department. Simple recipes are truly the best this time of year and all year round really. Hopefully you can agree… more heat-free recipes something very soon.
Be sure to leave me a comment below letting me know if you give this recipe a try. I would love to hear what you think! Be sure to also snap a photo and tag me @PlantPhilosophy on Instagram using #PlantPhilosophy so I don’t miss seeing your post. I love to leave a comment and reshare my favorite recreations. Thank you very much for taking the time to follow along with my content and make my recipes!
Vegan Hemp Seed Pesto Pasta Salad
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 4-6 servings
Ingredients
- ½ cup Hemp Seed Pesto
- Handful of Arugula
- 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup Roasted or Sweet Corn
- ½ pound dried Penne Pasta, cooked
- 3 tbsp Sunflower Seed Parmesan
- 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook dried pasta as directed on the package.
- Drain and rinse will cold water to bring the pasta to room temperature.
- Fold in the pesto and lemon juice, add salt as needed.
- Wash and cut cherry tomatoes in half. Pour into your pasta with corn, parmesan and arugula.
- Fold to evenly combine. Taste again and season as desired.
- Transfer to an airtight container and chill overnight.
- Serve warm or cold, topped with extra sunflower seed parmesan.
Notes
Will keep fresh for up to 5 days.
Courses Lunch, Dinner, Entree, Side
PIN IT FOR LATER!

Vegan Hemp Seed Pesto Pasta Salad | Oil-Free & Gluten-Free | ThePlantPhilosophy.com
Omg this sounds so perfect for the summer; I also can’t even think about turning on the stove for too long, hahaha!
Love you, beautiful!!!
It’s so damn hot!!! Cooking isn’t on my radar lately lol
All of these ingredients are SO GOOD!! I especially love arugula, despite the haters. And agreed on the no-cook-kick! Well, at least not inside the house, for me. haha
Thanks girl! Haha so many people seem to hate arugula, it’s strange to me. Yay for no cooking! It’s so hot here!
Sounds delicious and wonderful presentation. Great job!
Thank you very much!
Oh how pretty! And the wooden bowls are lovely too!
Thank you so much!
This looks so good I need to try it & also the buffalo bites asap! I’ve been really into pestos & cold salads lately because this Texas heat is intense. Also just wanted to say your photos are fantasic–I love how they tell a story. Your blog is so inspiring! ☺
Thank you so much, Penny! Your positive feedback seriously makes what I share worthwhile.
I love how quick and easy this recipe was–it’s perfect for summer! Yum! Also your photos are so gorgeous! ❤️
I’m so happy you enjoyed my pesto pasta salad! Thank you for taking the time to make it and share your thoughts on it <3
Sorry for the repeat comment–I thought my original didn’t go through & then added another when I tried the recipe. Double the love doesn’t hurt though right?! 😂