Plant-Powered Pasta Bacon Salad

Carlson Olive Your Heart® Recipe

I love pre-made salads. Not only are they easy to prepare and make weekday meals a breeze, but they also make leftovers a thing to look forward to since they truly taste better after a day+ of marinating in the fridge! Plus, on hot summer days, there’s no additional cooking!

Take this Plant-Powered Pasta “Bacon” Salad Recipe. Filled with a high-protein pasta, lots of veggies, tempeh, and an Omega-3 infused Olive Oil, you are getting tons of taste and nutrition in a simple, no-fuss, eat-every-day-for-a-week recipe (or at least that’s what I do)! 🙂

Speaking of nutrition: Have you heard of Carlson Olive Your Heart®? Don’t worry, until recently, I was new to it as well, so let me share! Olive Your Heart is Cold-pressed Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil that has been infused with Omega-3’s. In fact, Carlson Labs uses Premium Norwegian, wild-caught, sustainably-sourced fish oil which packs a whopping 1,480 mg of Omega-3s per packet, including EPA and DHA. Not only does this help promote cardiovascular health and optimal wellness, but it is also mild and smooth, making it easy and delicious to incorporate heart-healthy nutrients in your diet.

Available in convenient 1-TB. packets, Carlson Olive Your Heart® comes in 4 flavors, including basil, lemon, garlic, and natural, all of which taste great and can easily be incorporated into your meals! Here, I used the Basil flavor, although Lemon would be another great addition as well!

Now for the recipe!

Plant-Powered Pasta Bacon Salad

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups dried pasta of choice (I used a high-protein spinach variety here)
1-8oz package Tempeh
¼ cup Shallots, finely diced
1 TB. Olive Oil
1/4 cup Soy Sauce or Tamari
2 tsp. Liquid Smoke
3 TB. Maple Syrup
1-bunch Baby Broccoli
1 cup Zucchini Shreds (about 1-large Zucchini, grated)
1 cup Carrot Shreds (about 2-medium Carrots, grated)
¼ cup Green Onions, finely chopped
6-packets Olive Your Heart®, Basil flavor (although Lemon works nicely here too)
¼ cup Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed is preferable
2 TB. Dijon Mustard
2 TB. Maple Syrup, optional (if you like things on the sweeter side)
2 tsp. Sea Salt
1-2 tsp. Cracked Pepper
1 tsp. Smoked Paprika, optional

DIRECTIONS:

Boil a large pot of water and cook the Pasta per manufacturer’s directions. Set aside and let cool. Make sure to keep it on the al ‘dente side.
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the tempeh: In a medium bowl, combine 1 TB. Olive Oil, Shallots, Tamari, Liquid Smoke, and Maple Syrup.
Crumble or cut the Tempeh into ¼ inch chunks and add it to the marinade. Mix until all the Tempeh is well covered and let sit for at least 10 minutes [although the longer you let it sit, the stronger the flavor will be]. You can even leave it in the refrigerator overnight if preferred.
Once the Tempeh is done marinating, heat a sauté pan to medium-high and add it to the pan with some of the marinade. Occasionally stir until the Tempeh is crispy and evenly browned, adding more marinade to the pan, as needed. Once done, remove and set aside.
Prepare the vegetables: Cut the Broccoli into 1-inch pieces; use a cheese grater to grate the Carrots and Zucchini; finely chop the green onions. If you want a stronger onion flavor, use the whites, otherwise, save them for another use.
Combine all of the above-listed vegetables into a large bowl and set aside.
Whisk together the Dressing ingredients in a small bowl, including Olive Your Heart®, Lemon Juice, Dijon Mustard, Maple Syrup, Sea Salt, Pepper, and Smoked Paprika.
Pour the dressing over the vegetables and stir until well coated.
Next, add in the Pasta and Tempeh, continuing to mix until everything is thoroughly coated.
Eat and Enjoy!

NOTES:

This Pasta Salad tastes even better after sitting and allowing the flavors to meld and will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Do not cook the Olive Your Heart®. Because of the Omega-3’s, it is very sensitive to heat and will destroy the nutrients.

Learn more about Olive Your Heart® by checking out their website: https://www.oliveyourheart.com/

And to learn more about the single-serving packets, in particular, you can check out this link: www.carlsonlabs.com/olive-your-heart-packets

This recipe was #sponsored by @carlsonlabs

#oliveyourheart

Plant-Powered Pasta Bacon Salad

Prep Time 20 Total Time 30 print

Ingredients

4 cups dried pasta of choice (I used a high-protein spinach variety here)
1-8oz package Tempeh
¼ cup Shallots, finely diced
1 TB. Olive Oil
1/4 cup Soy Sauce or Tamari
2 tsp. Liquid Smoke
3 TB. Maple Syrup
1-bunch Baby Broccoli
1 cup Zucchini Shreds (about 1-large Zucchini, grated)
1 cup Carrot Shreds (about 2-medium Carrots, grated)
¼ cup Green Onions, finely chopped
6-packets Olive Your Heart®, Basil flavor (although Lemon works nicely here too)
¼ cup Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed is preferable
2 TB. Dijon Mustard
2 TB. Maple Syrup, optional (if you like things on the sweeter side)
2 tsp. Sea Salt
1-2 tsp. Cracked Pepper
1 tsp. Smoked Paprika, optional

Directions

1. Boil a large pot of water and cook the Pasta per manufacturer’s directions. Set aside and let cool. Make sure to keep it on the al ‘dente side. 2. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the tempeh: In a medium bowl, combine 1 TB. Olive Oil, Shallots, Tamari, Liquid Smoke, and Maple Syrup. 3. Crumble or cut the Tempeh into ¼ inch chunks and add it to the marinade. Mix until all the Tempeh is well covered and let sit for at least 10 minutes [although the longer you let it sit, the stronger the flavor will be]. You can even leave it in the refrigerator overnight if preferred. 4. Once the Tempeh is done marinating, heat a sauté pan to medium-high and add it to the pan with some of the marinade. Occasionally stir until the Tempeh is crispy and evenly browned, adding more marinade to the pan, as needed. Once done, remove and set aside. 5. Prepare the vegetables: Cut the Broccoli into 1-inch pieces; use a cheese grater to grate the Carrots and Zucchini; finely chop the green onions. If you want a stronger onion flavor, use the whites, otherwise, save them for another use. 6. Combine all of the above-listed vegetables into a large bowl and set aside. 7. Whisk together the Dressing ingredients in a small bowl, including Olive Your Heart®, Lemon Juice, Dijon Mustard, Maple Syrup, Sea Salt, Pepper, and Smoked Paprika. 8. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and stir until well coated. 9. Next, add in the Pasta and Tempeh, continuing to mix until everything is thoroughly coated. 10. Eat and Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

This Pasta Salad tastes even better after sitting and allowing the flavors to meld, and will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Do not cook the Olive Your Heart®. Because of the Omega-3’s, it is very sensitive to heat and will destroy the nutrients.

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Nutrition Facts

Serves: 6 QuickviewCalories28414%
Fat4g7%
Saturated Fat0.63g4%
Carbohydrates53g18%
Sugar14g17%
Cholesterol0.0mg0%
Sodium1430mg62%
Protein10g22%
Vitamin C100mg122%
Vitamin K121µg116%
Vitamin A4501IU90%
Manganese1mg62%
Selenium29µg42%
Vitamin B20.43mg25%
Folate89µg22%
Fiber5g21%
Phosphorus192mg19%
Potassium654mg19%
Vitamin B60.35mg17%
Magnesium65mg16%
Copper0.25mg12%
Vitamin B10.18mg12%
Iron2mg12%
Vitamin B32mg11%
Calcium102mg10%
Vitamin E1mg10%
Vitamin B50.95mg10%
Zinc1mg9%
covered percent of daily need