Italian-Inspired Pasta Salad

Name: Italian-Inspired Pasta Salad
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 7 oz or 200 grams whole-wheat or gluten-free pasta – (I used fusilli); 1 15 oz can chickpeas or your favorite white beans, (drained and rinsed (about 1 ½ of cooked chickpeas)); ½ cup canned artichoke hearts, (drained, then chopped); ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, (rehydrated, then finely chopped*); ½ cup pitted black olives, (finely chopped); ¼ cup toasted almonds, (roughly chopped**); ½ small red onion, (thinly sliced***); Sea salt and pepper to taste; ¼ cup good quality extra virgin olive oil; ⅓ cup fresh parsley, (finely chopped); ¼ cup fresh dill, (finely copped); 1 Tbsp capers, (minced); 1 Tbsp lemon juice; 1 tsp lemon zest, (tightly packed); 1 garlic clove, (minced); ½ tsp chili flakes

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Ready in 15 minutes. This Italian-Inspired Pasta Salad is quick, easy and incredibly flavorful.

Meet your new favorite pasta salad. It’s so simple, yet SO GOOD. If you love Mediterranean flavors, then you are going to love this fresh and hearty salad. I love Italian cuisine and this salad features some of my favorite Italian-inspired ingredients like artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, fresh herbs, capers and olive oil. The result is wholesome and oh-so-tasty.

This crowd-pleasing meal is perfect for your next barbeque or dinner party. I promise your friends and family are going to be begging for more. You can serve this wholesome salad as a side dish or as a nourishing main. I used whole wheat pasta, so this easy meal is fiber-rich, it’s also loaded with healthy fats and complex carbs. And for a good dose of plant-based protein, I added chickpeas and toasted almonds. I’m such a huge fan of nuts in salads, they provide amazing health benefits and they add such a nice crunch.

Now let’s talk about the dressing because it’s the most delicious thing. Think good quality extra virgin olive oil, lemon, finely chopped capers, garlic, chili flakes and fresh herbs, it’s the perfect addition to this (secretly) vegan salad.

If you try this healthy pasta salad, let us know what you think. Tag us on Instagram @mondaydreamsblog or leave a comment below. We love hearing from you!

Italian-Inspired Pasta Salad

Ready in less than 15 minutes. This wholesome pasta salad is bursting with Mediterranean flavors. Everyone is going to love this simple, nourishing and delicious vegan salad.

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Italian, Mediterranean

Keyword crowd-pleasing, easy recipe, healthy food, nutritious, olive oil, pasta, quick recipe, vegan dinner

Total Time 15

Servings 3 mains - 6 sides

Ingredients

SALAD:

7 oz or 200 grams whole-wheat or gluten-free pasta – I used fusilli
1 15 oz can chickpeas or your favorite white beans, drained and rinsed (about 1 ½ of cooked chickpeas)
½ cup canned artichoke hearts, drained, then chopped
½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrated, then finely chopped*
½ cup pitted black olives, finely chopped
¼ cup toasted almonds, roughly chopped**
½ small red onion, thinly sliced***
Sea salt and pepper to taste

DRESSING:

¼ cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
⅓ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
¼ cup fresh dill, finely copped
1 Tbsp capers, minced
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest, tightly packed
1 garlic clove, minced
½ tsp chili flakes

Instructions

Cook the pasta according to instructions. Drain and let cool.
While the pasta is cooking prepare the rest of the ingredients and make the dressing. Add all dressing ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine.
Once the pasta is cooked, add it to a big bowl with the rest of the salad ingredients: chickpeas, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, almonds, red onion and sea salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle with the olive oil dressing and toss to combine.
Enjoy this hearty salad!

Notes

*You can use jarred sun-dried tomatoes. Then you won’t have to rehydrate them.
** To roast the almonds, preheat the oven to 350 °F / 180 °C. Place the almonds on a baking sheet (no oil) and roast in the oven for 8 - 10 minutes, until golden and fragrant. Remove and let cool.
*** I don’t like the strong taste of raw onions, so I place the sliced onions in a small bowl and cover them with boiling water. After ten minutes, I drain and rinse the onions with cold water. Bye-bye pungent taste, hello delicious mild flavor.

Gaby

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