Let’s make a super simple, 20-minute, veggie-packed pasta salad using chickpea pasta and all of the salty, tangy, crunchy elements from a greek salad!
It’s official: I’m obsessed with greek salads.
Or, more specifically, the flavor combination of salty feta, briney olives and pepperoncini, juicy tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, and spicy red onions.
I just can’t get enough.
It should come as no surprise that those ingredients find their way into a large majority of my meals. Pizzas, salads, hot and cold pasta, grain bowls, etc. There’s nothing that I can’t greek salad-ify.
So today, we’re turning the typical summer pasta salad into GREEK pasta salad by including the aforementioned ingredients and a tangy homemade vinaigrette made right in a jar with lots of dried oregano and garlic for that classic greek salad flavor.
It’s seriously so perfect for a hot summer day, and because it’s a vinaigrette-based pasta salad as opposed to a mayo based one, it can sit out in the backyard or on the beach for a few hours without needing to worry about it. It also keeps well in the fridge for a few days, if you’re looking to make it to take camping or just to have sitting in the fridge for easy lunches or quick dinners on the hot, sticky days ahead.
To make it extra special, this pasta salad is made using chickpea pasta! Have you tried it yet? It cooks and tastes surprisingly identical to traditional pasta, but since it’s made from chickpea flour it’s grain and gluten-free (a bonus if you’re bringing this to a party with a variety of eaters), packed with protein, and a fun way to add the nutritious goodness of chickpeas into your family’s life without actually eating those funny shaped little beans (read: Kevin isn’t a fan of chickpeas but happily gobbles up chickpea pasta).
We tend to eat mostly bean, legume, or whole grain based pastas these days because they’re a great way to make a meatless meal more filling and satisfying; there are always a few boxes of chickpea, green lentil, brown rice, quinoa, or red lentil pasta in the pantry. Really any shape/variety of pasta you love would work here, but I’m partial to spirals in pasta salad because they hold the vinaigrette better than, say, penne.
Also, it goes without saying that this recipe is just a base for you to add/subtract whatever ingredients you have in your kitchen and love in a greek salad. Feel free to double the olives and leave out the pepperoncini, add marinated artichoke hearts or roasted red peppers, swap out the tomatoes for sun-dried, use fresh herbs like basil and parsley or alternate greens like spinach or arugula in place of the baby kale. If feta cheese is too much for some of your family members, dice up some cheddar or crumble blue cheese on top, or even swap it out entirely for a vegan cheese alternative to keep this recipe dairy-free/vegan friendly.
Either way, if you’re a greek salad lover, you are going to be obsessed with this pasta salad made with chickpea pasta and a super simple homemade vinaigrette. If you make it, let me know what you think by leaving a comment below, or taking a picture of your pasta salad and tagging me on Instagram so I can see!
Veggie Loaded Greek Chickpea Pasta Salad
Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
- 8oz chickpea pasta spirals
- 4oz feta cheese
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 seedless cucumber
- 1/2 a small red onion
- 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
- 10 pepperoncini
- 2 cups baby kale
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
Instructions:
- Bring a small pot of water to boil, then add the pasta and cook according to package directions. Once cooked, drain and run under cold water to cool.
- Crumble the feta by hand, or dice into small cubes, then chop all the veggies. Halve the cherry tomatoes, dice the cucumber, finely dice the red onion, slice the olives in half, thinly slice the pepperoncini, and roughly chop the baby kale.
- Add drained and cooled pasta to a large bowl with the feta and all the chopped veggies.
- Place all remaining ingredients into a jar with a lid and shake well to combine. Pour dressing over the pasta salad and toss well to combine. Taste and add more salt, if needed (feta, olives, and pepperoncini are pretty salty already, but vary widely based on the brand you’re using, so you may need a pinch or two more!).
- Serve immediately, or store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
SWITCH IT UP: use another shape or type of pasta, swap out the feta for a cheese your family loves more like cheddar or blue (or use a vegan cheese!), add in other veggies like fresh bell pepper, finely diced broccoli, marinated artichokes, etc. This recipe can also be doubled to feed a crowd!