You’ll love this easy pasta salad recipe! It features chick-peas and feta cheese instead of meat, so it’s a great vegetarian option. It’s best to make ahead – if you’re bringing it to a picnic, prep it up to a day in advance. You will find cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and garlic at the market this week!
- 3 cups uncooked fusilli pasta
- 2 heaping cups halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups arugula
- 1 cup cucumbers, sliced into thin half moons
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
- ½ cup minced fresh parsley
- ½ cup chopped fresh mint leaves
- ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
Dressing:
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence or dried Italian seasoning,
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare the pasta according to the package directions, or until slightly past al dente.
Meanwhile, make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, herbes de Provence, red pepper flakes, and salt. (Note: the dressing will have a strong flavor, it’ll mellow once it coats all of the pasta salad ingredients).
Drain the pasta, toss it with a little olive oil (so that it doesn’t stick together) and let it cool to room temp. Transfer to a large bowl with the tomatoes, chickpeas, arugula, cucumbers, feta cheese, basil, parsley, mint, and pine nuts. Pour the dressing and toss to coat.
Season to taste with more lemon, salt, pepper, and/or a drizzle of olive oil, if desired, and serve.
