Lunchbox Pasta Salad
An easy pasta salad with chickpeas, vegetables and feta, tossed in a simple vinaigrette dressing. Great for lunchboxes or make-ahead meals
Servings: 6
Calories:
Ingredients
- 300g (10.05 oz) dried pasta , around 3 ½ cups but will depend on pasta shape used.
- 1 x 400g (14 oz) can chickpeas , drained, rinsed and patted dry.
- 1 cucumber , halved lengthways, seeds removed and sliced into half moons.
- 200g (7 oz) cherry or grape tomatoes , halved.
- ½ bell pepper , finely diced
- ¼ cup olives , roughly chopped
- 100g (3.5oz) (around ¾ cup) feta cheese , cut into 1cm cubes
- 1 cup basil leaves , torn
Dressing
- ⅓ cup (125ml) olive oil
- ¼ cup (60 ml) apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon dried Italian herbs
- ½ teaspoon sea salt / cooking salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Cook the pasta for 2-3 minutes longer than the packet instructions. Drain well.
- While the pasta cooks, prepare the dressing by whisking or shaking all the dressing ingredients together in a jar until well combined.
- Transfer the warm, well drained pasta to a large bowl. Pour over ½ of the dressing and toss well so the pasta absorbs the dressing as it cools.
- Once the pasta has cooled, add the chickpeas, cucumber, tomato, bell pepper, olives and feta.
- Add the remaining dressing and toss gently to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Add basil when ready to serve / pack.
Video
Notes
- Pasta - Use short shapes like fusilli or rotini (twirls), farfalle (bowties), orecchiette or shells with lots of ridges or folds to trap and hold the dressing well.
- The veggies can become a little soft overnight so for the freshest texture, store the dressed pasta, chickpeas and feta together and add the vegetables and herbs in the morning. This isn't essential but does keep everything more crisp.