Chickpea Pasta Salad

This vegetarian Chickpea Pasta Salad is loaded with a mixture of canned and fresh vegetables tossed in a simple oil and vinegar dressing. Then it's drizzled with a creamy yogurt sauce and garnished with fresh chopped dill for a summer side dish (or main dish) unlike any you've had before! This pasta salad is quick, easy, and oh so satisfying!

You'll Love This

• It's loaded with tons of flavor. You guys, this Greek chickpea pasta salad has TWO dressings!!?? This might seem like overkill but if you know me at all, you know that I'm OBSESSED with sauce. The simple vinaigrette takes just seconds to throw together and perfectly coats every noodle and veggie. Then the creamy yogurt sauce is drizzled over everything, tying it all together with that fresh lemon and dill flavor.
• It's LOADED with veggies! This pasta salad pretty much has an equal pasta to veggie ratio which means that it will please the veggie lover in your life AND the person who just came for the carbs! It's intended to give you the best of both worlds - and it delivers!
• It's an easy meal prep recipe for a busy week. Pasta salad is one of my go-to recipes for lunches each week. I make a big batch on Sunday afternoon and then my lunch is done for the week. It's one less thing I have to think about and it helps to alleviate leaning on last-minute take out when I'm not motivated to make something each day.

Instructions

Add pasta, chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, feta, red onion, and dill to a large bowl.

Combine vinegar, olive oil, Dijon, oregano, garlic powder, and paprika along with a large pinch of salt and pepper by whisking vigorously until combined.

Pour over pasta salad.

Toss to combine.

Combine ingredients for dill yogurt sauce. Transfer pasta salad to serving platter.

Drizzle with yogurt sauce. Garnish with fresh chopped dill and enjoy!

Tips

• Salt your pasta water with a moderate amount of salt. I like to use Kosher salt in all my recipes, and for salting my pasta water, but any salt will do. You want the pasta water to taste as salty as the ocean. I've seen some folks recommend 2 tablespoons or so while others recommend a ¼ cup. I think I fall somewhere in the middle, but feel free to test out your own amount of salt and see how you like it. Salting the pasta water is your first chance to season the pasta, so this is an important step in really boosting the flavor of the entire dish.
• Cook the pasta just until al dente and not a moment longer! I like to cook my pasta for 1-2 minutes less than the lowest recommended cooking time. So if the box recommends cooking the pasta for 9-11 minutes, I start tasting it around the 7-8 minute mark. As soon as it's al dente (tender, but still has a toothsome bite) I pull it off the heat and strain it.
• I'm not into the "rinsing hot pasta with cold water" thing. But I know that a lot of people do it. Rinsing the pasta removes the starches and also just adds an extra unnecessary step. I will admit I've been known to rinse my pasta once in a blue moon if I'm really in a hurry and need to get my pasta salad put together super quick. But most of the time I find that while I prep the veggies and dressings, the pasta has cooled down enough anyway. You can also throw the pasta in the fridge to cool it down quickly instead of rinsing it!
• You can totally get away with just making the vinaigrette, but if you have 5 minutes to spare, I highly recommend making the quick and easy yogurt sauce for this Greek chickpea pasta salad! The vinaigrette is really what's going to cling to the noodles and veggies and give the pasta salad that signature flavor. But the yogurt sauce is seriously out of this world and is such a special touch!

Other Pasta Salads

• Street Corn Pasta Salad
• Antipasto Tortellini Salad
• Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad
• Kale Caesar Pasta Salad
• Easy Caprese Pasta Salad

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