Need a healthy pasta salad recipe? This High-Protein Mediterranean Pasta Salad has everything you need: tons of protein using Barilla chickpea pasta, lots of fresh veggies, and a dairy-free lemon-herb vinaigrette dressing! There’s nothing like cold pasta salad on a super hot Georgia summer day.
This high-protein Greek pasta salad has to be in your regular rotation! It’s savory, with a lemony vinaigrette dressing, and gives you a full serving of healthy vegetables. There’s no mayo or dairy, and it tastes so good cold or room temperature. It’s one of my favorite work lunches because of how easy it is to make.
Ingredients
- Barilla Chickpea Rotini Pasta – I tried this plant-based pasta for the first time and absolutely love it. It only has one ingredient – chickpea flour – and has a very good texture compared to a lot of other chickpea pasta!
- Cucumbers & Tomatoes – To keep with the Greek/Mediterranean theme, we’re using some of the top veggies from that region… organic cucumbers and tomatoes.
- Kalamata Olives – I just love the taste of these; they give a great savory, almost meaty flavor and texture to this vegetarian pasta salad.
- Feta Cheese – A sprinkle of feta cheese really sets this pasta salad off! You can skip if you prefer, but it honestly tastes so good with all of the other ingredients.
- Lemon-Herb Vinaigrette – Another dressing recipe I have on the blog that comes together in literally 3-5 minutes. It has the perfect light, lemony flavor to go with all of these fresh veggies, and it’s dairy-free!
Variations/Substitutions
The great thing about making pasta salad is it’s so easily customizable! If you wanted to switch this Mediterranean Pasta Salad up, try adding the following:
- Shrimp
- Chicken Breasts
- Turkey
- Crispy Chickpeas
- Spinach
- Tzatziki Sauce
- Zucchini
- Orzo
Other Easy Lunches You’ll Love!
High-Protein Mediterranean Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 oz. chickpea rotini pasta I like Barilla brand!
- 1 ct. cucumber de-seeded and chopped
- 2 ct. Roma tomatoes de-seeded and chopped
- ½ cup kalamata olives drained and sliced
- ½ – 1 cup Lemon-Herb Vinaigrette
- ⅓ cup feta cheese crumbled
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
Instructions
- Add water and salt to a pot. Bring to a rolling boil, then boil pasta for 8-10 minutes. Shorter for al dente, and longer for a softer pasta.
- To stop the cooking process, drain the pasta and immediately add it to an ice bath (cold water + ice). This helps the pasta maintain its firmness for the salad.
- Once the pasta is cool to the touch, drain the water and set it aside.
- Prepare your lemon-herb vinaigrette (if not already prepped – it's ready in less than 5 minutes!)
- Add your veggies, vinaigrette, feta cheese, and seasonings/herbs. Be sure to season to taste!
- Stir to combine and refrigerate for an hour to let the flavors marinate. This can keep for about a week in the fridge. Enjoy!
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The Coined Breakdown
- Total Cost per serving: $0.84
- Total Cost (6 servings): $5.01
- Those Other Guys: $4.99+ per serving
