My Favorite Summer Chickpea Pasta Salad.
This summer chickpea pasta salad is one of my favorite salads of all time! I make it ahead of time for weekday lunches or serve it as a side for dinner. It’s tangy, bright and satisfying. Everyone loves it!
Summer loving!!!
This chickpea pasta salad is chock-full of summer garden veggies, tiny pasta shells, chickpeas, fresh herbs, smoked provolone and drizzled with my super zesty italian dressing for the perfect bite.
This is such a wild amount of flavor in this little bowl, you won’t even believe it. Seriously.
It doesn’t look like much. And it doesn’t look very special. But it’s just over-the-top good and every time I take a bite, I wonder why I don’t make this dish year ‘round.
This is the pasta salad that I’ve been talking about all summer!
It’s embarrassingly easy.
And very satisfying. Perfect for lunch!
It is versatile and you can throw in whatever you want.
But this exact one? This exact one is the one I’ve been making on repeat. That I’ve been loving. It’s been my go-to pool lunch and also a great side dish for summer nights.
I actually AM embarrassed to tell you how many times I’ve made it!
This is how I do it!
First, I make the dressing. This is my zesty italian with a little dill zing. It’s quite possibly the most made dressing in my house. We love it.
Next, I make the pasta. I love using shells with this. It’s cute and delicious when the chickpeas get buried in the shells! Fun.
Then, I marinate the shallots and zucchini and summer squash. I slice these as thin as possible and let them hang out in the dressing a bit. If you’re not eating the salad right away, you don’t need to do this. They will marinate nicely right in with the pasta and chickpeas.
Finally, everything goes into the bowl. I throw in chopped cherry tomatoes, smoked provolone (the best!) and a bunch of fresh herbs too. Basil is my first choice, but really any herb you have and love works.
This stays great in the fridge for an extended period of time. A few days – a few hours, whenever you need it, it’s ready.
And it is quite possibly my most favorite thing to bring to the pool or beach for lunch, ever. It’s just SO simple, incredibly flavorful and really fills you up.
It’s pretty and vibrant and delicious!
Summer Chickpea Pasta Salad
Summer Chickpea Pasta Salad
Ingredients
dressing
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- ½ cup olive oil
pasta salad
- ½ pound medium shells pasta, cooked
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
- 1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
- 1 small summer squash, thinly sliced
- 1 pint tomatoes, quartered
- 8 to 16 ounces smoked provolone, diced
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
Instructions
dressing
- Whisk together the vinegar, garlic, dijon, honey, dill, oregano, salt and pepper until combined. Stream in the olive oil while whisking until emulsified. This dressing stays great in the fridge for a week! Just whisk or shake before serving.
pasta salad
- Boil the pasta in a pot of salted water according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta and let it cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, combine the sliced shallots, zucchini and summer squash. Add a few tablespoons of the dressings into the bowl and toss the mixture. Let the vegetables marinate while you make the rest of the salad. Chop the tomatoes and the cheese.
- Add the pasta to the bowl with the marinated zucchini and shallots. Add in the chickpeas, tomatoes and cheese. Drizzle in half of the dressing and toss.
- Taste and add more dressing if desired. I like to save some of the dressing in the fridge if I eat this salad over a few days. It stays great in a sealed container in the fridge for a few days!
Did you make this recipe?
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This is how I like my veggies!
One Comment on “My Favorite Summer Chickpea Pasta Salad.”
This looks soooo good. I love your summer chickpea salad with the honey lime vinaigrette so will definitely try this one with the pasta and veggies. I like the addition of the cubed cheese but think I will use way less than one pound of cheese. I’ve never tried smoked provolone so excited to try it in this.