Make this amazing Chickpea Pasta Salad! This vibrant and wholesome dish is packed with your favorite pasta, flavorful chickpeas, fresh vegetables, aromatic herbs, and a homemade Dijon dressing. Whether you’re looking for a light lunch or a vibrant side dish, this Chickpea Pasta Salad is sure to impress your family and guests.
Chickpea Pasta Salad is a flavorful and nutritious dish that brings together the versatility of chickpeas and the comforting pasta. This vibrant salad combines an array of colorful vegetables, tangy Maple Dijon Dressing, and aromatic herbs, resulting in a refreshing and satisfying meal.
The beauty of recipe lies in its versatility. You can customize it to suit your taste preferences and the ingredients you have on hand. Whether you prefer rotini, penne, or fusilli, any type of pasta works perfectly in this salad. The vibrant medley of vegetables such as cherry tomatoes and cucumbers adds a refreshing crunch and a burst of colors to every bite.
Why you will love this recipe
- Delicious. This salad is packed with flavors and will be a great addition to any dinner or a Summer BBQ gathering.
- Easy to make. You can precook the pasta a day before and then easily put the salad together in just 10 minutes when ready to serve.
- Customizable. Feel free to add other ingredients to the salad that you have on hand, like greens, more veggies, or even grilled chicken.
- Filling. Thanks to chickpeas and pasta, this salad is quite filling.
Ingredients and Substitution
- Pasta. In this recipe, I used pipe rigate variety, but you can use any of your favorite pasta, like fusilli, rotini, penne, farfalle, etc. Gluten-free pasta will also work in this recipe.
- Chickpeas. Make sure your drain and rinse the chickpeas before adding to other ingredients.
- Vegetables. I always like to use cherry tomatoes and cucumbers in this recipe. You can also add some bell pepper, red onion, celery, and other veggies.
- Herbs. Green onion, parsley, and dill are my favorite herbs to add to any salad, as they perfectly compliment the flavors.
- Vinaigrette. I usually make this dish with my classic Maple Dijon Dressing. If you like zesty flavors, Lemon Dijon Dressing will be a great addition to the dish.
- Add-ons: Feel free to add other ingredients to the dish, like mixed greens or arugula, avocado, feta cheese, or even grilled chicken.
How to make it
Step 1. Make Maple Dijon Dressing.
In a bowl, add ¼ cup olive oil, 2 tbsp white wine vinegar, 1 ½ tbsp Dijon mustard, ¾ tbsp maple syrup, ¼ tsp garlic powder, and ⅛ tsp salt.
Whisk everything until well combined and set aside.
Step 2. Make Chickpea Pasta Salad.
Boil a pot of water and cook 8 oz pasta according to the package directions. When done, drain the pasta and let it cool off completely.
When the pasta is cooled off, add it to a big salad bowl.
Drain and rinse the chickpeas and add it to the pasta.
Add diced cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, finely chopped green onion, parsley, and dill.
Pour over Dijon Salad Dressing and toss until all the ingredients are evenly coated with vinaigrette.
Expert tips
- Salt the pasta water. When cooking pasta, don’t forget to generously salt the water. It will properly season the pasta and will bring up the flavors.
- Cool off pasta. Make sure you cool off the pasta completely before mixing with other ingredients. Hot or warm pasta can make the veggies and herbs look soggy.
- Cucumbers. In my salads, I prefer to use small seedless Persian cucumbers. They have thin skin and great flavor. English or European variety will also work well.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can refrigerate it in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.
Yes, you can easily assemble everything a day before and refrigerate until ready to serve.
The pasta can absorb a lot of the salad dressing, so you might just need to add a little bit more vinaigrette to the salad.
More Salad Recipe Ideas:
- Orzo Salad with Feta
- Faro Arugula Feta Salad
- Chicken Macaroni Salad
- Chicken Cobb Salad
- Olivie
- Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad
- Potato Salad with Bacon and Egg
- Beetroot Salad
- Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad
- Red Potato Salad with Dill
Chickpea Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Ingredients for Chickpeas Pasta Salad:
- 8 ounces dried pasta
- 15 ounces chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 ½ cups cucumbers diced
- 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes cut in halves
- ⅓ cup fresh herbs green onion, parsley, dill
Ingredients for Salad Dressing:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons Dijon mustard
- ¾ tablespoons maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a bowl, add ¼ cup olive oil, 2 tbsp white wine vinegar, 1 ½ tbsp Dijon mustard, ¾ tbsp maple syrup, ¼ tsp garlic powder, and ⅛ tsp salt.
- Whisk everything until well combined and set aside.
- Boil a pot of water and cook 8 oz pasta according to the package directions. When done, drain the pasta and let it cool off completely.
- When the pasta is cooled off, add it to a big salad bowl.
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas and add it to the pasta.
- Add diced cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, finely chopped green onion, parsley, and dill.
- Pour over Dijon Salad Dressing and toss until all the ingredients are evenly coated with vinaigrette.
Notes
- Salt the pasta water. When cooking pasta, don’t forget to generously salt the water. It will properly season the pasta and will bring up the flavors.
- Cool off pasta. Make sure you cool off the pasta completely before mixing with other ingredients. Hot or warm pasta can make the veggies and herbs look soggy.
- Cucumbers. In my salads, I prefer to use small seedless Persian cucumbers. They have thin skin and great flavor. English or European variety will also work well.
- How to store? You can refrigerate it in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.
This salad goes amazing with vinaigrette and I can’t wait to make it again, thank you for sharing this recipe!
My hubby and I loved this salad especially the vinaigrette! So tasty and so delicious! I love all the flavors this salad brings out. Definitely making this again!
This chickpea salad looks really tasty and like it is packed with flavor. Seems great for summer and as an appetizer or party dish.
So many discount chickpeas, I personally enjoy the nutty flavor they add. Your salad with the nuttiness and bright flavor from the cucumber and green onions was wondeful.
Great summer salad. Made it for a light dinner, the fresh herbs and dressing are divine!
This pasta salad was hearty and filling. It had so much flavor. I loved every bite.
Wow! This pasta salad dish looks absolutely delicious and very healthy too! A perfect salad that everyone will definitely love and enjoy eating! Thanks for sharing this with us!
I just LOVE chickpeas! I have a feeling that I will be making this pasta salad on repeat this summer. 🙂
Pasta is one of my family favorite and this nutritious salad is definitely perfect for any meal.
I always have chickpeas in the house. This looks like the perfect pasta salad for my next bbq party. It will be a hit with the guests for sure.