Vegan Miniature Mozzarella Ball Pasta Salad
This fully vegan mozzarella ball pasta salad is going to blow your mind.
Prep Time20 minutes mins
Cook Time25 minutes mins
Total Time45 minutes mins
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: pasta salad, vegan mozzarella balls, vegan mozzarella pasta salad
Servings: 4 people
Author: Richard Makin
For the Mozzarella Balls
- 90 g silken tofu (firm)
- 40 g plant milk (I used oat)
- 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
- 20 g lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon tapioca starch
- ¾ teaspoon kappa carrageenan
- 40 g deodorised coconut oil
For the Mozzarella Ball Marinade
- 30 g extra virgin olive oil
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoon minced parsley
- 1 tablespoon minced basil
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
- 1 clove of garlic (crushed with the side of a knife)
For the Pesto Dressing
- 45 g fresh basil leaves (roughly chopped)
- 20 g fresh parsley leaves (roughly chopped)
- 45 g extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 80 g cashews (toasted in a dry frying pan)
- 2 cloves garlic (roughly chopped)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 6 tablespoon water
For the Pasta Salad
- 350 g vegan pasta (I used spirali)
- 250 g mixed baby tomatoes
- 100 g olives (chopped into ½cm discs)
- Small bunch of fresh basil
To Make the Mozzarella Balls
Half fill a large tub or a deep saucepan with cold water and a handful of ice cubes. Set aside.
Place all the mozzarella ingredients in the cup of a high speed blender and blitz until very smooth. Transfer the mixture to a medium saucepan and place over a medium/low heat. Whisking constantly with a metal whisk, raise the temperature of the cheese mixture until it starts to thicken - keep whisking until it’s very stringy and comes away from the sides of the pan. Remove from the heat.
While the mixture is hot, use two spoons (or better yet, two melon ballers or two semi-spherical teaspoon measureto pinch a portion of the mixture, forcing it into a ball shape. Lower the two spoons of mixture into the ice water before separating them. The ball of mozzarella should fall out (it may need a little heland will firm up almost immediately. Leave the ball of mozzarella in the cold water and repeat the process until you have no more mixture left.
While the mozzarella is chilling, prepare the marinade.
To Make the Marinade
Mix all the ingredients together in a jar, tub or deli pot. Using your hand, carefully remove the mozzarella balls from the water and place in the marinade. Cover with a lid and place in the fridge for minimum 4 hours or up to a week.
To Make the Pesto Dressing
To Make the Pasta Salad
Boil the pasta in salted water and drain once cooked but al dente. Cover with cold water and allow to chill for 5 minutes.
Toss together all the salad ingredients and dress with the pesto dressing. Top with the mozzarella balls and serve with a good grind of black pepper and a final drizzle of olive oil.
Serving: 1grams