Chag Sameach! Happy birthday trees! Today is Tu B’Shevat, and there are tons of different ways you can mark the occasion (check out this great video for some ideas). As you could probably guess, I’m a big fan of marking occasions with FOOD. I’ve already eaten my Tu B’Shevat Barley Oatmeal and now I have a perfect recipe that can be a full meal or a side!
This Vegan Seven Species Pasta Salad includes all seven of the produce mentioned in the Torah in relation to Tu B’Shevat: grapes, wheat, olives, pomegranates, dates, figs, and barley. It’s filling as a meal or makes a very hearty side. I’ve had it for both dinner and lunch, and I’ve eaten it warm and cold. You have lots of options with this salad!
This salad is also incredibly easy to make: it really just involves cooking your barley and pasta and tossing it with the rest of the ingredients. Now, a note about the lemon juice and white wine vinegar – you can sub for all lemon juice or all white wine vinegar, if you’d like. Another note for this recipe: I highly recommend tossing everything while the barley and pasta are warm because it causes the dates to heat up and get a little melty inside. Even if you ultimately intend to eat this salad cold, it makes for a nice texture in the dates.
One other thing to mention: this pasta salad is different than the traditional pasta salad. It’s intended to be warmer in flavor (not necessarily temperature, although you can eat it heated up). Traditional pasta salads have tons of bright flavors from the veggies to the spices used in them. This pasta salad is warmer flavored because of the dates, figs, cinnamon, and more. It does get some brightness from the pomegranates and lemon juice/white wine vinegar, but overall it is intended to be a different kind of flavor profile.
For me, many of these dried fruits are fruits I would NOT normally eat, so getting to eat them for Tu B’Shevat feels really special. Whether these make a regular appearance on your plate or you’re also trying something new, I hope you enjoy this Tu B’Shevat Vegan Pasta Salad. I would love to hear how this recipe turns out for you! Let me know in the comments or message me at @thejewishvegan on Instagram. And, as always, if you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out. Now, let’s get started!
Tu B'Shevat Vegan Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 4 servings pasta I recommend really any shape except spaghetti type noodles
- 1 cup pearled barley
- 3 cups water
- dash salt
- ½ cup quartered figs
- ¼ cup golden raisins
- ¼ cup California raisins
- ⅓ cup chopped dates
- 1-2 tbsp chopped olives
- ¼ cup walnut pieces
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 2½ tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup pomegranate seeds
- ½ tbsp lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring the barley and water to a boil, then simmer for 25 minutes over medium heat. Salt the water.
- When done, the barley will be soft but chewy, and most of the water should have simmered off. However, if there is any water left after 25 minutes, you can drain the barley in a fine mesh sieve.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions. Salt the water.
- Then add all of the ingredients to a large bowl and mix thoroughly. I recommend mixing while the pasta and barley are still warm, as this will cause the dates to warm up and soften. You can serve the pasta salad right away or cool it for a few hours in the fridge.
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