Easy Pasta Salad with Lemon Dressing

This easy pasta salad is made up of simple and nutritious ingredients and drizzled with a delicious lemon and olive oil dressing. The veggies include olives, cucumber, peppers and greens of choice, and the chickpeas offer a source of plant-based protein. It comes together in 15 minutes and can also be prepped and stored in containers or jars to be eaten later.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 can chickpeas
• 1 jar kalamata olives (375mL)
• 1 cucumber
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1 red bell pepper
• 4 cups cooked pasta (about 250g dry pasta)
• 3 cups greens (arugula, spinach, lettuce…)
• Small bunch of fresh herbs (cilantro, parsley or basil) to top

Lemon Dressing

• 1/4 cup olive oil (see notes for oil-free)
• 1/2 lemon (about 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice)
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• Pinch of salt

Equipment

• Small pot
• Containers or jars if meal prepping

Instructions

1. Add water to a small pot and bring to a boil to cook the pasta.
2. Chop kalamata olives, dice cucumber and peppers, and finely chop herbs of choice (either cilantro, parsley or basil).
3. Drain and rinse the can of chickpeas.
4. In a small bowl or jar, add the dressing ingredients and mix until well combined.
5. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and rinse with cold water to cool it down.
6. If you’re eating the salad right away, add the rinsed chickpeas, chopped olives, diced cucumber, diced peppers, cooked pasta, greens and fresh herbs. Drizzle dressing above, then toss and enjoy!
7. If meal prepping into containers or jars, divide ingredients depending on the number of containers. Start with dressing at the bottom, then chickpeas, olives, cucumber, peppers, pasta, greens and herbs, close them and store in the fridge to enjoy throughout the week!

Notes

*For an oil-free version of this easy pasta salad, simply remove the olive oil from the lemon dressing. I would suggest then doubling the dressing recipe: juice of 1 lemon, 2 tsp dijon mustard, 2 tsp maple syrup, 1 tsp garlic powder, pinch of salt.