Best Mediterranean Chickpea Pasta Salad

Want to add a healthy, protein-rich dish to your spring gatherings? This Mediterranean chickpea pasta salad is packed with wholesome ingredients, vibrant colors, and healthy fats, making it a welcome side dish for any occasion.

The extra virgin olive oil in this recipe adds more than just flavor to this dish. This oil brings a wealth of health benefits to your table, including heart health and already-healthy blood pressure support. The cucumbers, tomatoes and other veggies add to the nutrient profile this dish provides.

What is a Mediterranean chickpea pasta salad?

This pasta salad recipe is typically a mix of pasta, an oil-based dressing, and some heart-healthy Mediterranean diet ingredients like tomatoes, olives, chickpeas, cucumbers, feta cheese and more. All you have to do is chop up the ingredients, make your dressing, and mix it all together before serving at room temperature. My recipe offers a few tasty and creative upgrades to this crowd-pleasing salad.

You can use any pasta you choose for this pasta salad recipe. I used chickpea pasta for additional protein, fiber and other nutrients. Alternatively, you can use red lentil pasta, cauliflower pasta, quinoa pasta—whatever fits your lifestyle.

You can also add your veggies of choice. While cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, and onions are traditional, feel free to add in avocado, spinach, parsley or other greens to brighten up your Mediterranean pasta salad.

This recipe has a prep time of about 20 minutes and serves 4 large or 6 smaller portions.

Tips for Success

Here are a few tips and tricks to customize this Mediterranean chickpea pasta salad recipe to suit your tastes and dietary needs.

Make it vegan.

Using vegan pasta and vegan feta cheese is an easy way to make this recipe fit your plant-based lifestyle.

Carefully prepare your chickpeas.

Drain your canned chickpeas and run them under cold water to remove excess sodium and starch from them. If you want, you can pat the chickpeas dry with a kitchen towel or paper towel.

Swap ingredients.

One of the best features of this Mediterranean pasta salad is that you can easily make it your own. While chickpeas are a great source of protein, you can swap them out for other beans, such as black beans or kidney beans, or even tofu. You can also customize this salad with your favorite veggies, such as celery, bell peppers, or sun-dried tomatoes.

Save some for later.

When you are done enjoying your salad, you can store the leftovers in your fridge for a day or two. Place your salad in an airtight container and refrigerate.

Are chickpeas good for you?

Chickpeas, or garbanzo beans, are more than just delicious; they are also highly nutritious and are one of the most widely consumed legumes in the world. They can be muddled into hummus, added to curry recipes and roasted as a crispy snack.

Chickpeas are an excellent plant-based protein source, with high amounts of limiting essential amino acids like lysine and methionine. They also deliver thiamine, other B vitamins and important nutrients such as folate, iron, magnesium and zinc, which are important for your overall health.

In addition, the fiber in chickpeas helps maintain healthy blood sugar, encourages healthy weight management, and supports heart and gut health. Eating high-fiber foods like chickpeas, or adding chickpeas to recipes like vegan potato salad, can also help to manage bloating and encourage digestive comfort.

Is Mediterranean chickpea pasta salad healthy?

This pasta salad recipe is healthier than other pasta salads thanks to its high-protein chickpea pasta base and inclusion of chickpeas.

This recipe is healthy because it is:

• High in protein and fiber:

  Chickpeas and chickpea pasta are rich in protein and fiber. Fiber helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels and promotes feelings of fullness.

• Full of healthy fats:

  The extra virgin olive oil and avocado in this salad are excellent sources of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which may be beneficial for brain function, heart health and overall well-being.

• Well-balanced in macronutrients:

  This Mediterranean salad recipe has the perfect balance between carbs, protein and fats.

In fact, this chickpea pasta salad fits seamlessly into a Mediterranean diet, which is characterized by whole grains at every meal, plus veggies, fruits, and nutritious oils such as olive oil. A Mediterranean diet can help support healthy brain function, cardiovascular health, and already-healthy blood sugar levels.

References

Flynn MM, et al. "Is Extra Virgin Olive Oil the Critical Ingredient Driving the Health Benefits of a Mediterranean Diet? A Narrative Review." Nutrients. June 2023. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10346407/

"Chickpeas (garbanzo beans, bengal gram), mature seeds, raw." U.S. Department of Agriculture. April 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/173756/nutrients

"What Are Chickpeas and Are They Healthy?" Cleveland Clinic. January 2022. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/health-benefits-of-chickpeas