This Loaded Burger Pasta Salad is the ultimate warm weather dish to whip up! Loaded with plant-based burger crumbles and all of your favorite burger toppings—this dish is pure sunshine!
This post is sponsored by the Plant-Based promotion at Publix. The opinions and text are all mine.
Happy Spring, friends! I’m not sure where you are, but here in North Carolina, flowers are blooming, trees are sprouting new leaves and for me that always means one thing: COOK OUTS!
However… Since I have a new baby in my life (Hi, baby Jack!), Ben and I have found it difficult to bring out the grill and go all out with a full menu.
So, to make our life easier, I decided to whip up this delightful Loaded Burger Pasta Salad, which combines all of my favorite cookout foods into one dish!
Why you’ll Love This Dish:
First of all—it’s pretty simple. This dish combines my two favorite items you might find at a cookout—pasta salad and a perfectly cooked burger!
And in the pasta salad, you find all of my favorite burger toppings! You have red onion, crunchy pickles, juicy cherry tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and the best homemade thousand island dressing, aka special sauce!
Each bite is the perfect combination of flavor and texture—and the crazy part?! This entire dish is completely plant-based!
Ben and I have been making a conscious effort to eat more plant-based meals throughout the week—so we decided to pick up all of these ingredients at Publix during their plant-based promotion!
For the burger part of this recipe, I used the Gardein Ultimate Plant-Based Burger (on sale for $1 off during the promo!) and it was SO delicious! The flavor was perfect, and I loved the texture of the burger throughout the pasta salad.
And how can you have a burger without pickles?! My all-time favorite pickles are on sale for 2 for $12 and the crunchy tangy goodness in each bite is the best!
And the pasta…can’t have a pasta salad without pasta! I used the Barilla Chickpea pasta as the base for the recipe—the texture and flavor of this pasta is truly the BEST, and it’s on sale for 2 for $5!
Combined with your favorite burger toppings (you can choose your own!) and the deliciously creamy homemade thousand island dressing…it’s the best!
So, let’s get into what you need for it!
Ingredients You Need:
- Gardein Ultimate Plant-Based Burger
- Pasta of choice (I loved the Barilla Chickpea rotini pasta)
- Grillo’s pickle spears
- Red onion
- Cherry tomatoes
- Shredded lettuce
- Plant based Mayo
- Ketchup
- Hot sauce
- Avocado Oil
- Salt and pepper
Best Tips for Making This Dish:
Begin by making your pasta! You will want it to have time to cool down, so making this first is the best option!
Follow the package instructions and then drain the pasta—add to a large glass bowl and put in the fridge!
Next, dice up all of the veggies you are planning on using! I recommend bite-size pieces with large chunks of pickle throughout.
And of course, the homemade thousand island dressing! It’s the BEST burger sauce and makes this pasta salad oh so delicious. Whip up the mayo, ketchup, hot sauce, pickle juice, and spices in a bowl, and taste and adjust the seasoning until you’re satisfied!
Lastly, cook up the plant-based burger patties! In a skillet, add a splash of oil on medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the burger and cook for 6 minutes on both sides. They should get deliciously browned and caramelized like this:
Then once done, chop the burger into bite-size pieces.
Add all of the ingredients to the large bowl with the pasta salad, add the dressing and toss it up!
Pop it back in the fridge and let it cool if desired—if you don’t care, you can always just eat it, not chilled! I personally think it’s quite delicious either way.
And that’s it!
If you want to save money for yourself on this recipe—head to your local Publix and pick up their 4/23 Extra Savings flyer and see all of the delicious plant-based items on sale!
If you can’t find the flyer in-store, ask an employee at the customer service desk, or just check out the shelf signs highlighting the sales!
Enjoy every bite of this delicious pasta salad, friends!
Did you like this recipe? Here are a few others you might like:
Thank you so much for following along here, friends! Want to see more? Be sure to follow ourbalancedbowl on Instagram and tag me with your photo if you end up making a recipe! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the Our Balanced Bowl Facebook page! I always love to see your re-creations! If you do make a recipe, it would make my whole day if you were to rate and comment so I can get your feedback! Lots of love! – Haylie
Loaded Burger Pasta Salad
This Loaded Burger Pasta Salad is the ultimate warm weather dish to whip up! Loaded with plant-based burger crumbles and all of your favorite burger toppings—this dish is pure sunshine!
Ingredients
- 2 Gardein Ultimate Plant-Based Burger Patties (or burger of choice)
- 16 oz. Barilla Chickpea rotini pasta (or any rotini pasta will do!)
- ½ red onion, diced finely
- 4-5 Grillo’s Dill pickles, chopped into bite-size pieces
- 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1 cup romaine lettuce, sliced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
Thousand Island Dressing/Special Sauce
- ⅓ cup plant-based mayo
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 1-2 large splashes of hot sauce
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2-3 tsp pickle juice (or more if you like it tangier!)
Instructions
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Begin by cooking the pasta according to the package directions. Cook until al dente, drain the pasta and then add it to a large bowl. Place the bowl in the refrigerator.
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Next, add avocado oil to a large skillet on medium heat. Once hot, add in the Gardein burgers and cook for 6 minutes on each side, or until beautifully browned. Once done, take off the heat and let them remain in the pan for now.
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Grab a large cutting board and slice the lettuce, finely dice the red onion, slice the cherry tomatoes in half and dice the Grillo’s pickles into bite-size pieces. Add all of these veggies to the large bowl with the pasta.
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Finally, dice the cooked burger patties into bite-size pieces as well. Add those to the bowl.
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Grab a small bowl and mix together the ingredients for the special sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
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Add the special sauce to the bowl and toss the pasta salad together. Add salt and pepper to taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
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Eat immediately or allow to cool in the fridge for a while. Enjoy every bite! Store leftovers in a tightly sealed Tupperware container in the fridge.
I love this recipe! It is really easy and quick to make. I meal prepped my lunches for a few days and it is delicious!
Yay! I love that so much, Alyssa! Thank you for making the recipe! 🙂