Pasta salad has to be one of the best recipes for cooking on the cheap at a potluck/bbq and chickpea pasta salad is a go-to. If you don’t have one thing for your pasta salad recipe, leave it out or just trade it for something else. Basically, it’s everything but the kitchen sink and a great way to use up scraps in the fridge.
In this one, I used green peppers but you can also use red peppers or even dollar tree roasted red peppers. Or, like I said, you can just exclude peppers all together. Cherry tomatoes are a great addition but if you only have regular tomatoes, go ahead and dice those up.
Another great thing about a chickpea pasta salad like this is you can use any vinaigrette dressing to flavor it. I actually used leftover pesto but if you don’t have pesto on hand you can use any vinegar based dressing. Oh and hey, go ahead and add mayo if you like as well!
Pasta Salad is a Go-To!
Pasta salad is definitely my go-to budget friendly and pantry friendly choice for any get together!
And to keep the inspiration going, check out this list of 25 rice and beans recipes that includes some delicious ideas for white rice! If you’d like to see the whole recipe in action, watch my youtube video where I make this and all 25 recipes!
Chickpea Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 green pepper or red, yellow, or roasted red pepper
- 1 lb pasta of choice
- 1 cup grape, cherry, or regular tomateos diced
- 1 cucumber sliced
- 1 can corn drained
- 1/2 cup pesto store bought or homemade
- salte and pepper to taste
- 3 tbsp parmesan cheese optional
Instructions
- Start by chopping your vegetables. If using a green pepper, remove the seeds and dice it. You can use other types of peppers as well. If using regular tomatoes, dice them. Peel the cucumber and cut it into quarters.
- While chopping the vegetables, bring a pot of water to boil on the stove. Add salt to the boiling water, then cook the pasta according to the package instructions for pasta salad
- Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and rinse it with cold water to cool it down quickly. Transfer the cooled pasta to a large bowl.
- Add the diced green pepper (or other peppers), grape or cherry tomatoes (or diced regular tomato), cucumber quarters, drained corn, and drained and rinsed chickpeas to the bowl with the pasta.
- Add a few tablespoons of pesto (or your preferred vinaigrette dressing) to the salad. Mix everything together well to combine the flavors.
- Season the salad with salt and pepper to taste. Optionally, sprinkle some Parmesan cheese over the salad.
Notes
In compliance with FTC guidelines, please assume the following about all links, material on this website/videos: Any/all of the links on site/video are affiliate links of which Maria Ronan receives product credit or a small commission from sales of certain items, but the price is the same for you.
Maria Ronan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Links on this site may include affiliate links to Amazon and its affiliate sites on which the owner of this website will make a referral commission. Thank you for supporting Meals With Maria! My videos and website are for entertainment purposes only. Any information related to food, food safety, cooking, recipes, etc. are my opinions only. Maria Ronan is not liable and/or responsible for any advice, services, or product you obtain through this video and website.
Leave a Reply