Chickpea Pasta Salad
(Pasta, veggies, and cheese coated with a sweet-tangy dressing).
This miracle dish is a crowd-pleaser and an instant hit with kids and adults! It’s mild, yet flavourful. This one-pot recipe is perfect for tiffins, parties, and picnics! It can easily become your lunch/dinner or sit with other dishes as a gorgeous side dish!
Making this pasta requires minimum cooking effort and it gets made quite easily. Give this recipe a try and let me know how you like it in the comments section!
LINK TO ALL PRODUCTS USED ARE IN THE RECIPE CARD BELOW.
RECIPE VIDEO
Ingredients
For cooking pasta -
3 cups fusilli / penne pasta (पास्ता)
water for cooking the pasta (पास्ता पकाने के लिए पानी)
1/2 tbsp olive oil (ऑलिव ऑयल)
1/2 tbsp salt (नमक)
For coating the chickpeas -
1/4 cup chickpeas (काबुली चना)
1/4 tbsp extra- virgin olive Oil (एक्स्ट्रा वर्जिन ऑलिव ऑयल)
1/2 tbsp paprika powder / kashmiri lal mirch powder (पॅप्रिका / कश्मीरी लाल मिर्च पाउडर)
For making the dressing -
1/4 cup extra- virgin olive Oil (एक्स्ट्रा वर्जिन ऑलिव ऑयल)
6-7 garlic cloves (लहसुन)
1 tbsp white vinegar (विनेगर)
2 tbsp lemon juice (नींबू का रस)
1 tbsp honey (शहद)
1 tsp red chilli flakes (रेड चिली फ्लेक्स)
1 tbsp oregano powder (ओरिगैनो पाउडर)
1 tbsp Italian herbs seasoning/ pasta mix (पास्ता मिक्स पाउडर) Check the recipe card below
salt as per taste (नमक)
For sautéing the vegetables -
1/2 tbsp butter (बटर)
1 red onion (प्याज)
1 zucchini (जुकिनी)
1 cup red , yellow, green peppers/capsicum (लाल,पीली, हरी शिमला मिर्च)
1 tbsp boiled pasta water (उबले पास्तेका पानी)
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (फेटा चीज़)
For the pasta -
3 tbsp boiled corn kernels (उबले हुए मकई के दाने)
1/4 cup cherry tomatoes (चेरी टमाटर)
2 tbsp black olives (ब्लैक ओलिव्स)
200g feta cheese (फेटा चीज़)
Method
Cooking the pasta -
Take enough water in a large container to cook the pasta. Bring this water to a full rolling boil.
Add olive oil and salt to the water.
Tip in the pasta carefully and give it a nice stir.
Cook the pasta al dente - which means till a point where the pasta is soft and cooked, yet quite firm in texture. Typically cook it for less time than that mentioned on the pasta packet. Keep stirring it to ensure the pasta isn’t sticking.
Turn off the heat. Drain the water from the pasta by using a sieve. DO NOT DISCARD THE PASTA WATER. SAVE SOME WATER AS WE NEED TO USE IT LATER.
Add a little olive oil to the cooked pasta and mix it well. This prevents the pasta from sticking to each other.
Set the pasta aside.
For the chickpeas -
Soak the chickpeas overnight in water. Drain the water, wash the chickpeas and add sufficient quantity of water to them again. Add salt and cook them in a pressure cooker (5-6 whistles).
Drain excess water from them. Add extra-virgin olive oil and paprika powder and coat them well with it. Set aside.
For making the dressing -
Mix all the ingredients mentioned above (for making the dressing) in a small bowl. Stir well and set it aside.
For sautéing the vegetables -
Wash and chop the veggies as shown in the video.
Add a little butter to a pan and sauté the onion. Add the zucchini and sauté again for some time. Add the peppers and roast the veggies lightly.
Turn off the heat and pour some dressing over the hot veggies. Coat the vegetables well in this dressing. This gives them a beautiful flavour. Set aside.
For the pasta -
Transfer the cooked pasta to a large bowl. Add roasted vegetables, boiled corn, marinated chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, black olives, dressing, pasta water, and crumbled feta cheese to it and stir everything well.
CHICKPEA PASTA SALAD IS READY TO SERVE!!
Notes -
Cooking the pasta in vigorous boiling water helps it to cook uniformly as the boiling water tosses the pasta well.
Do not overcook the pasta. Keep checking the pasta by removing a piece of the pasta with a fork/spoon and chewing it. It has to feel soft yet firm. Once it is cooked al dente, immediately turn off the heat and drain water from it using a colander. Don’t let the pasta sit in hot water for long.
Sauté the veggies lightly. We want to cook them a little but keep them firm and crunchy (especially the peppers).
If you don’t have feta cheese, you can add regular cheese cubes too.
The pasta water collected after draining the pasta is added later to the salad as it prevents the dish from drying out too much.
I have mentioned the links of all the products I used for making this recipe in the recipe card below. Do check them if needed.
Chickpea Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups fusilli / penne pasta (पास्ता)
- water for cooking the pasta (पास्ता पकाने के लिए पानी)
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil (ऑलिव ऑयल)
- 1/2 tbsp salt (नमक)
- 1/4 cup chickpeas (काबुली चना)
- 1/4 tbsp extra- virgin olive Oil (एक्स्ट्रा वर्जिन ऑलिव ऑयल)
- 1/2 tbsp paprika powder / kashmiri lal mirch powder (पॅप्रिका / कश्मीरी लाल मिर्च पाउडर)
- 1/4 cup extra- virgin olive Oil (एक्स्ट्रा वर्जिन ऑलिव ऑयल)
- 6-7 garlic cloves (लहसुन)
- 1 tbsp white vinegar (विनेगर)
- 2 tbsp lemon Juice (नींबू का रस)
- 1 tbsp honey (शहद)
- 1 tsp red chilli flakes (रेड चिली फ्लेक्स)
- 1 tbsp oregano powder (ओरिगैनो पाउडर)
- 1 tbsp Italian herbs seasoning/ pasta mix (पास्ता मिक्स पाउडर)
- salt as per taste (नमक)
- 1/2 tbsp butter (बटर)
- 1 red onion (प्याज)
- 1 zucchini (जुकिनी)
- 1 cup red , yellow, green peppers/capsicum (लाल,पीली, हरी शिमला मिर्च)
- 1 tbsp boiled pasta water (उबले पास्तेका पानी)
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (फेटा चीज़)
- 3 tbsp boiled corn kernels (उबले हुए मकई के दाने)
- 1/4 cup cherry tomatoes (चेरी टमाटर)
- 2 tbsp black olives (ब्लैक ओलिव्स)
- 200g feta cheese (फेटा चीज़)
Method
- Take enough water in a large container to cook the pasta. Bring this water to a full rolling boil.
- Add olive oil and salt to the water.
- Tip in the pasta carefully and give it a nice stir.
- Cook the pasta al dente - which means till a point where the pasta is soft and cooked, yet quite firm in texture. Typically cook it for less time than that mentioned on the pasta packet. Keep stirring it to ensure the pasta isn’t sticking.
- Turn off the heat. Drain the water from the pasta by using a sieve. DO NOT DISCARD THE PASTA WATER. SAVE SOME WATER AS WE NEED TO USE IT LATER.
- Add a little olive oil to the cooked pasta and mix it well. This prevents the pasta from sticking to each other.
- Set the pasta aside.
- Soak the chickpeas overnight in water. Drain the water, wash the chickpeas and add sufficient quantity of water to them again. Add salt and cook them in a pressure cooker (5-6 whistles).
- Drain excess water from them. Add extra-virgin olive oil and paprika powder and coat them well with it. Set aside.
- Mix all the ingredients mentioned above (for making the dressing) in a small bowl. Stir well and set it aside.
- Wash and chop the veggies as shown in the video.
- Add a little butter to a pan and sauté the onion. Add the zucchini and sauté again for some time. Add the peppers and roast the veggies lightly.
- Turn off the heat and pour some dressing over the hot veggies. Coat the vegetables well in this dressing. This gives them a beautiful flavour. Set aside.
- Transfer the cooked pasta to a large bowl. Add roasted vegetables, boiled corn, marinated chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, black olives, dressing, pasta water, and crumbled feta cheese to it and stir everything well.
Notes
- Cooking the pasta in vigorous boiling water helps it to cook uniformly as the boiling water tosses the pasta well.
- Do not overcook the pasta. Keep checking the pasta by removing a piece of the pasta with a fork/spoon and chewing it. It has to feel soft yet firm. Once it is cooked al dente, immediately turn off the heat and drain water from it using a colander. Don’t let the pasta sit in hot water for long.
- Sauté the veggies lightly. We want to cook them a little but keep them firm and crunchy (especially the peppers).
- If you don’t have feta cheese, you can add regular cheese cubes too.
- The pasta water collected after draining the pasta is added later to the salad as it prevents the dish from drying out too much.
- I have mentioned the links of all the products I used for making this recipe below. Do check them if needed.
A healthy pasta salad.
Did you make this recipe?
Kindly let me know in the comments section below and tag @bitesandbokeh on INSTAGRAM.