This comes from a lovely site called loveandlemons.com. I took their advice and roasted the chickpeas for a little crunch. This was easy to adapt for my vegans (just left out the cheese). I didn't have any pine nuts handy so I used some slivered almonds. The dressing is the bomb and I think I might make about 1/2 batch extra next time to add at the last minute in the event it all got absorbed by the pasta.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and patted dry
- 3 cups uncooked fusilli pasta
- 2 heaping cups halved cherry tomatoes
- 2 cups arugula
- 1 cup Persian cucumbers, sliced into thin half moons
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
- 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (or other nuts of your choice)
Dressing
- 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp herbs de Provence or dried Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Roast the chickpeas. Preheat oven to 425°. Once chickpeas are dry and loose skins removed, place on parchment lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and some salt. Spread evenly and roast until crispy about 20-30 minutes. Allow to cool completely.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 slightly. Add the dressing, toss and cool to room temp. Transfer to a large bowl with the tomatoes, chickpeas, arugula, cucumbers, feta cheese, basil, parsley, mint, and pine nuts. Season to taste with more lemon, salt, pepper, and/or a drizzle of olive oil, if desired, and serve.HAPPY EATING!!
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