This wonderfully easy chickpea pasta salad has all the color and all the flavor! You will be the hit of the party when you bring along this Mediterranean chickpea salad! Serve this healthy salad super cold for the best results.
You can even add some Hungarian paprika for a spicy kick! Spiced or not, the second you start serving this salad, the faster it will be gone! Serve a scoopful over salad greens or with Red Leaf Salad for a healthy salad entrée!
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How to Make Chickpea Salad
This simple chickpea salad has a bright combination of ingredients that pack a powerful flavor, especially when they are mixed together with my bright vinaigrette-style dressing.
It’s literally as easy as:
- Toss cooked pasta, drained chickpeas, chopped salami, and halved bocconcini balls together in a large bowl.
- Make dressing.
- Toss with salad and serve!
The great thing about this salad is that you can easily change up the ingredients to use what you have on hand in your pantry or fridge! Change up the type of pasta or meat if you’ve got something to use up or are missing something.
Chickpea Salad Dressing
In a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients. Don’t forget, this dressing can be used on a green salad or even as a marinade for chicken, pork or fish! Make some extra and keep it in the fridge in a mason jar (with my favorite mason jar caps) or a cruet!
For the perfect salad dressing or marinade, you can also pop all of the ingredients into a blender and whiz it up! My Vitamix works great for dressings too but using a bullet blender is much faster when making smaller quantities, so blend away!
Is Chickpea Salad Healthy?
Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, make a healthy alternative to meat and they are great in vegetarian and vegan diets!
Studies show that grabanzo beans can fight heart disease and cancer as well as manage your weight. Chickpeas are full of magnesium, potassium and high in healthy fiber.
In this salad, the healthy combination of chick peas, tomatoes, and bocconcini balls provides the protein, the veggies, the dairy, and even the fiber! For a healthier alternative, reduce (or go meatless!) the amount of salami in the recipe and add some cucumbers or shredded carrots!
What to Serve with Chickpea Salad
Chickpea salad is definitely a meal on its own, but also makes a perfect side dish. Take it to a barbecue or a potluck and watch it disappear! We like to serve chickpea pasta salad with some smoked meats such as Smoked Pulled Pork, Smoked Beef Brisket or Smoked Chicken Breasts during our summer backyard gatherings, with another either Thai Quinoa Salad or Bow Tie Pesto Pasta Salad (or sometimes both!).
My husband likes to make put a scoop of chickpea salad between slices of his favorite bread for a chickpea salad sandwich! His fave!
How Long Does Chickpea Salad Last?
Chickpea salad will last about 4 days in the refrigerator. Keep it in an airtight container and if there is liquid on the bottom of the container, drain the salad. Refresh with new dressing and a dash of salt and pepper and serve it up! I don’t recommend freezing Chickpea Pasta Salad because both the pasta and the bocconcini balls will not have a firm texture once they thaw out.
Chickpea Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- ¾ pound rotini pasta 12 ounces (6 cups cooked)
- 1 pound grape tomatoes halved (or cherry tomatoes)
- 15 ounces chickpeas 1 can, 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, sausage, and bocconcini together.
- In a small dish, whisk together garlic, olive oil, and vinegar to make dressing.
- Add dressing and basil to other ingredients and toss together. Sprinkle with salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste.
Nutrition Information
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!