This healthy chickpea pesto pasta salad is made with whole grain pasta and no mayo for a delicious protein and fibre packed vegetarian side dish or summer main. Made with just 5 ingredients, this pasta salad recipe is quick and easy to make and can be made ahead of time. {Vegetarian & can be made gluten-free}
Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Cook pasta according to package directions, until it reaches an al dente consistency. Drain the water.
Add the cooked pasta, halved tomatoes, chickpeas, feta cheese and pesto to a large bowl and toss gently to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with fresh basil leaves, if desired.
Serve immediately or place in the fridge for later use.
Notes
Can use store-bought pesto, or better yet, try out this homemade pesto!
Cook pasta to al dente consistency to prevent the pasta from being too mushy
Use tri-coloured cherry or grape tomatoes to add a beautiful pop of colour to the salad
Use no salt-added canned chickpeas and give them a good rinse to reduce sodium content or cook your own!
If possible, allow the pasta salad to sit for at least 30 minutes. It helps all of those flavours come together!