Mediterranean Chickpea Pasta Salad

This Mediterranean chickpea pasta salad is light, fresh and so easy to make. With crisp veggies like cucumber, tomatoes and red onion, perfectly cooked pasta, chickpeas and a simple olive oil lemon vinaigrette, this is the perfect vegan pasta salad!

This light and fresh chickpea pasta salad is my go to recipe to meal prep for the week. It’s high in protein, easy to make, ready in about 30 minutes, and packed with so many delicious flavors and textures.

It’s the perfect recipe for a Summer barbecue, beach trip, picnic or simple lunch to keep in the fridge for the week. It’s really light and fresh, but if you want a creamy pasta salad try this one.

We’ll be using both chickpeas and chickpea pasta to add a lot of plant protein, fiber and other good for you nutrients to this salad.

While chickpea pasta is not keto friendly, it doesn’t spike your blood sugar the way traditional pasta does because of its high fiber content.

Key ingredients

Pasta. I used chickpea pasta for some extra protein, but any kind of pasta works just fine! I suggest rinsing it after it cooks to cool it down quickly so it doesn’t wilt the veggies. Any pasta shape, such as penne, rotini or elbows will work well!

Veggies. Cucumber, grape tomatoes, red onion and pepperoncini. You can also add in some olives or arugula for extra greens or some avocado to make it creamy.

Chickpeas. Just one can of drained and rinsed chickpeas. You can use any other kind of bean, I think a small white bean such as cannellini would work best here.

Olive oil vinaigrette. Just a simple mix of olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar and herbs like oregano add lots of flavor.

Fresh herbs. I used just parsley, but I also love adding in fresh basil. Whatever you have should be just fine!

How to make vegan pasta salad

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions. Once done, drain and rinse under cold water.

Meanwhile, whisk together all ingredients for the dressing and set aside.

Prep all the veggies/chickpeas and add to a large bowl.

When the pasta is done, add to the bowl with the veggies and toss. Toss in the dressing until everything is well coated.

Garnish with fresh herbs and red pepper flakes if desired.

Make it a meal!

This chickpea pasta salad has tons of protein, fiber and healthy fats in it already, so you can definitely enjoy it exactly as it for a full meal.

However, if you’re looking to jazz it up, I love serving it alongside my lemon pepper salmon or a simple grilled chicken.

Why is my pasta salad dry?

Pasta salad can unfortunately dry up a bit as it sits in the fridge, especially if you’re using gluten free pasta. One way to prevent this is to cook the pasta just until done.

You don’t want to over or under cook it as either way can prevent the dressing from attaching to the sauce.

Try these summer recipes next!

• Thai Quinoa Salad
• Pesto Summer Rolls
• Macaroni Salad
• Tabbouleh Salad

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