High Protein Pasta Salad Recipe

High Protein Pasta Salad Recipe – How to make an easy, healthy protein packed veggie meal with chickpea pasta – super quick meal prep idea with Mediterranean Diet flavors.

This high protein pasta salad recipe is a great way to enjoy a tasty meal that’s loaded with protein from almost every included ingredient. The dish is perfect if you’re following a Mediterranean Diet and looking for more easy meal ideas.

The salad can be enjoyed as an easy lunch, main dish for a light dinner or as the perfect side dish that the whole family will enjoy, especially on summer picnics.

You could make the salad as a part of your weekly meal prep and then enjoy it as a speedy option through the week when needed.

The 5 Salad Ingredients

Pasta – I’ve used chickpea pasta in this instance because it’s the highest protein pasta I could find. You can really use any regular pasta you like.

Mine was gluten-free pasta, making this an easy meal to make as a gluten free option with any allergy friendly pasta you can find at your local grocery store. I found the pasta at Aldi and they also have lentil pasta and pea pasta which is also high in protein and gluten free.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil – to add flavor, healthy fats and keep the salad moist, I’ve drizzled over extra-virgin olive oil.

Lemon – freshly squeezed lemon juice is added for flavor and freshness. You can also grate over lemon zest if you like. You could also swap for limes and add in lime juice and lime zest.

Chickpeas – this salad is loaded with ingredient after ingredient that is high in grams of protein, including nutritious chickpeas.

Feta Cheese – I adore the salty, complex flavors that adding feta cheese to a salad adds. You can cube or crumble as little or as much of the protein rich ingredient as you like.

More Simple Recipe Ingredient Ideas

Here are even more ideas for fresh simple ingredients to add to your salad.

Fresh Veggies – add more fresh veggies for even more nutrition and flavor. Choose from chopped or diced red onion, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, Kalamata olives, black olives, green onions and leafy greens.

Seasoning & Flavor – add in a little bit of your choice of flavor from sea salt, black pepper or any fresh herbs such as fresh basil or fresh oregano.

Salad Dressing – I’ve chosen to dress the salad simply a speedy Italian dressing with olive oil and lemon, but you could swap for a creamy dressing by mixing through Greek yogurt, sour cream or mayo instead.

Beans – swap the chickpeas for any beans or legumes you like from black beans, red lentils, kidney beans or Cannelini beans for easy plant-based protein options.

More Protein – add even more protein by sprinkling over Parmesan cheese or cheddar cheese, mixing through leftover chicken or even chopped hard boiled eggs to create an egg pasta salad.

Whichever way you choose to enjoy this version of a classic pasta salad, you’ll find that the dish is a delicious way to get extra protein into your diet.

High Protein Pasta Salad Recipe

250g/8.8oz Pasta
2-4 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 to 1 Lemon
1 Tin of Chickpeas
125g/4.4oz Feta Cheese

Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, drain when cooked to your liking, then cool to room temperature.
Once cooled, move the drained pasta to a large bowl or airtight container, drizzle over the olive oil and squeeze over the lemon juice, then toss to combine.
Drain the tin of chickpeas and pour them over the cooked pasta salad.
Cube or crumble over the feta cheese, toss well to combine then taste the salad and add any seasoning or other salad ingredients, to taste.
Serve immediately or place in the fridge for a few hours or overnight for the flavors to develop, then enjoy.