Make this 3-step chickpea pasta salad with garbanzo beans for a deliciously colorful, crunchy side that’s potluck and picnic perfect.
Tender rotini pasta is tossed with plump tomatoes, chickpeas, salami, and mozzarella cheese in a zesty dressing for a Mediterranean-inspired salad that’s always the first to go.
Why This Salad Shines
- This summer salad is so flavorful with a refreshing, tangy bite.
- Chickpea past salad is always the star of the picnic or potluck table because it’s packed with fresh ingredients and holds up better than lettuce-based salads.
- It serves as a hearty lunch or light dinner, perfect for summer days when you don’t want to heat the kitchen.
Powerhouse Ingredients
- Pasta: Choose curly pastas like rotini, cavatappi, fusilli, or bowtie that allow the dressing to cling properly.
- Tomatoes: Grape tomatoes come in a variety of colors and will make this a new salad every time! Otherwise, go for fresh cherry tomatoes.
- Protein: Chickpeas may be the star protein in this salad, bocconcini and salami are close runners up! Be aware chickpeas need to be drained and rinsed before using.
- Vinaigrette: This simple dressing only needs garlic, olive oil, and vinegar as the base. White wine vinegar is a little less tart than other kinds, but can be swapped out for red wine or apple cider vinegar.
Endless Pasta-bilities
- If grape or cherry tomatoes are not available, use Romas cut into bite-sized pieces since they are extra meaty, low in moisture, and will hold up better than other slicing varieties. In a pinch, you can use sundried tomatoes from a jar and use the oil in the dressing.
- While salami is delicious in this salad, crumbled bacon, diced ham, or bay shrimp, are great options as well. Toss in leftover smoked salmon, chicken, steak, tuna, or some frozen (and thawed) mini beef meatballs to make it a main.
- Leave the meat out altogether for a vegetarian salad and swap in a can of drained and rinsed cannellini or black beans.
- Add pops of color and flavor to chickpea pasta salad with some sliced black or kalamata olives, sliced cucumbers, bell peppers, green peas, or radishes.
- You can also try mixing up the seasoning with combinations, like my Italian seasoning or Greek salad dressing.
How To Make Chickpea Pasta Salad
- Toss cooked pasta, tomatoes, chickpeas, and sliced (or chopped) salami into a bowl.
- Whisk dressing ingredients together and add to salad, along with the basil (full recipe below).
- Season with salt and pepper before serving.
Tips for Pasta Salad Success
- Always cook pasta for cold salads to al dente. This allows them to hold up longer with the other ingredients, and gives room for the dressing to absorb.
- Chickpea salad tastes best served ultra cold, so make it up to a day ahead. That will also give time for the flavors to meld and develop.
Toss, Serve, and Save the Rest
- Store leftover chickpea pasta salad in a covered container in the refrigerator for no more than 3 days due to the raw garlic in the recipe, which can develop botulism if stored too long.
- Drain, stir, and add a little salt and pepper to refresh the flavors. Leftovers can be blended into greens for a new salad or tucked into a wrap for a grab-and-go workday lunch.
- Freezing salads isn’t recommended. This dish is so easy to make, just start fresh!
Tasty Pasta Salads To Try!
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Chickpea Pasta Salad
Chickpea pasta salad recipe is an easy summer dish featuring creamy bocconcini & spicy salami with a simple vinaigrette.
Ingredients
- ¾ pound rotini pasta 12 ounces dry (6 cups cooked)
- 1 pound grape tomatoes halved (or cherry tomatoes)
- 1 (15 ounce each) can chickpeas rinsed and drained (garbanzo beans)
- 1 cup salami sausage chopped
- 1 cup small bocconcini balls halved (baby mozzarella)
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 7 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 10 leaves basil finely chopped
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, toss pasta, tomatoes, chickpeas, salami, and bocconcini together.
- In a small dish, whisk together garlic, olive oil, and vinegar to make dressing.
- Add dressing and basil to the large bowl and toss everything together. Sprinkle with salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste.
Notes
- Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for no more than 2-3 days because the dressing is made with fresh garlic. If stored longer, there is a risk that the garlic, which has extremely low acidity, may produce botulism, a serious toxin, and that is not a risk worth taking.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 487 | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 334mg | Potassium: 289mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 505IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information does not include optional ingredients or garnish and is an estimate. It may change based on actual ingredients and cooking methods used.
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Thanks For Sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope the will like it.
That’s aweseome! So happy to hear that Raju!