Chickpea Pasta Salad

Chickpea pasta salad is tasty, easy, and nutritious, perfect for when you want something healthy and satiating but don’t have much time to cook.

You can make this recipe in about the time it takes to boil the pasta.

It’s packed with crunchy veggies, a delicious honey-mustard dressing, and plenty of fiber and protein.

Mediterranean-inspired, fresh, colorful, crunchy, and zesty, thanks to a delicious honey-mustard dressing, this chickpea pasta salad is a stunning recipe combining wonderful flavors and outstanding nutrition.

It’s excellent for meal prep, potlucks, and picnics. You can have it for a quick lunch or a healthy dinner.

The other day, Louise even had leftovers for breakfast! What?

Just like our creamy pasta salad and pesto pasta salad, this recipe is perfect for spring, summer, and early autumn.

Inspired by our chickpea salad and Mediterranean salad, we use simple but flavorful ingredients to create a versatile dish packed with vitamins, antioxidants, and plant protein.

From a nutritional standpoint, combining pasta (good quality Italian 100% semolina/durum wheat pasta – not white flour noodles) with chickpeas is the perfect pairing to keep you healthy, nourished, and satiated.

Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

Pasta

Pick your favorite pasta. We recommend rotini, fusilli, or farfalle.

For a gluten-free option, use gluten-free pasta.

You can even replace regular pasta with chickpea pasta, lentil pasta, whole wheat, or protein pasta.

However, we don’t think that’s necessary as regular Italian pasta made with 100% semolina/durum wheat contains plenty of protein.

Also, to cook 8 ounces of pasta (230 grams), enough for four people in this recipe, you’ll need 2 quarts of boiling water (8 cups or 2 Liters) and one tablespoon of salt (15 grams).

Chickpeas

You can use canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or dried chickpeas.

Here’s our guide on how to cook chickpeas.

You can substitute black beans or white beans for chickpeas.

Vegetables

– Cherry tomatoes: substitute any other ripe tomato cut into bite-size pieces. You can also substitute red bell peppers for tomatoes.

– Cucumber: substitute thinly sliced zucchini or radishes.

– Kalamata olives: substitute regular black or green olives or Taggiasche olives.

– Red onion: substitute shallot or spring onions.

– Corn: we use canned corn kernels. Substitute diced yellow bell pepper.

– Sun-dried tomatoes in oil add a ton of flavor, and we recommend them. Substitute marinated artichoke hearts, crumbled feta cheese, grilled eggplant, or grilled zucchini.

– Avocado: it adds healthy fats, vitamins, and creaminess.

Fresh herbs

We use fresh flat-leaf parsley.

Other herbs that work well in chickpea pasta salad are thinly sliced fresh basil, dill, cilantro, or chives.

Dressing

For the dressing, we recommend the following:

• Extra virgin olive oil: substitute regular olive oil.
• Fresh lemon juice: substitute apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar.
• Maple syrup: substitute honey, agave syrup, date syrup or sugar.
• American mustard: substitute Dijon mustard.
• Dried oregano: substitute Italian seasoning.
• Sea salt: substitute kosher salt.
• Black pepper: substitute red pepper flakes.
• Garlic powder: optional.

US cups + grams measurements in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

1. Make the dressing

To a medium bowl, add extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, honey or maple syrup, dried oregano, salt, and black pepper.

Whisk until emulsified, then add drained and rinsed chickpeas.

Stir the chickpeas in the dressing and set aside to marinate while you prepare the other ingredients.

2. Boil the pasta

Cook the pasta per package directions in a large pot with plenty of salted boiling water.

Drain and rinse it under cold water for 10 seconds to prevent it from overcooking.

Now shake the water off and add the pasta to a large mixing bowl.

While the pasta cooks, prepare the vegetables.

3. Chop and mix the veggies

To the same bowl, add halved cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, corn, diced avocado, finely chopped onion and parsley.

Add the marinated chickpeas and the dressing.

Mix well, then taste and adjust for salt. Ideally, set aside 15 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.

Tip: If you are making this recipe ahead, you might want to keep the avocado out to prevent it from browning and add it shortly before serving the salad.

Enjoy this pasta salad as a main meal for a quick lunch or easy dinner. From a nutritional point of view, you don’t need to serve anything else next to it.

If you need extra protein, add grilled chicken, prawns, grilled tofu, crumbled feta, or mozzarella balls.

We especially recommend this recipe for picnics, potlucks, or packed lunch, as you can make it ahead of time and bring it with you.

Questions

Storage

Make ahead: Chickpea pasta salad is an excellent meal prep recipe that keeps well for several days. It tastes even better a few hours after it’s made. However, remember to add the avocado shortly before serving the salad so that it doesn’t turn brown.

Refrigerator: Store the salad in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. Remove it from the fridge 15 minutes before serving, as the veggies taste better at room temperature.

Freezer: This recipe is not suitable for freezing.

More pasta salad recipes

Pasta salads are the best! Here are our favorite recipes: vegan pasta salad, orzo salad, creamy pasta salad, macaroni salad, Asian noodle salad, pearl couscous salad, and spaghetti salad.

For more salad ideas, check out Louise’s compilation post with our 45 best salad recipes.

Pasta

Vegan Pasta Salad

Salads

Macaroni Salad

Pasta

Creamy Pasta Salad

Pasta

Orzo Salad