Chickpea Pasta Salad
This vibrant vegetarian Chickpea Pasta Salad is crazy flavorful and loaded with veggies! It's packed with colorful vegetables and tossed in an easy homemade dressing.
Servings 6 servings
Calories 298kcal
Ingredients
- 6 oz small pasta noodles
- 15 oz can of chickpeas
- 1 bell pepper (any color!)
- 1-2 cups chopped cucumbers
- 1-2 cups cherry tomatoes (halved or quartered)
- ¼-½ cup thinly sliced red onion (pickled or fresh)
- ¼ cup pickled banana peppers
- ¼-⅓ cup crumbled feta
- fresh or dried herbs to taste (basil, parsley, mint, etc)
PASTA SALAD DRESSING
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 TBSP red wine vinegar
- ½ lemon (juiced)
- 3 cloves fresh garlic (peeled and minced)
- 1-2 tsp honey to taste
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ¾ tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Cook pasta via package directions until al dente. Drain and rinse with cool water.
- While the pasta cooks, prep the veggies! Chop bell pepper and cucumbers, halve or quarter cherry tomatoes (or chop larger tomatoes) and measure out remaining ingredients.
- NOTE: for the onion you can use thinly sliced raw red onion or pickled red onions. When I don't have a batch of homemade pickled red onion in my fridge I simply slice and marinate the onions in the dressing while I prep the salad.
- To make the dressing, combine all the dressing ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whisk well. Start with just a teaspoon of honey, adding any extra to taste.
- Next add the drained pasta and drained/rinsed chickpeas and mix well. Mix in vegetables and feta and give it a taste. Add any additional salt + pepper to taste and you're welcome to add the juice from the remaining half of the lemon if desired.
- Enjoy! You can let the salad sit out for 30 minutes to further amp up the flavor or chill it in the fridge before serving for a chilled pasta salad. It's great the next day so feel free to meal prep this salad in advance! The longer it is in the fridge the more dressing the pasta and veggies soak up, so feel free to refresh the salad with a little oil/vinegar/lemon before diving back in.
Notes
Additional Veggie Options: sweet mini peppers, sweet corn, jarred artichokes, olives, broccoli, cauliflower, chopped avocado, kale, arugula, spinach, shredded carrots, etc...
Nutrition Facts below are estimated for pasta salad with dressing using an online recipe nutrition calculator. Adjust as needed based on extras/swaps and enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 298kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 375mg | Potassium: 445mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 832IU | Vitamin C: 43mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 3mg
