Green Goddess Pasta Salad with Chickpeas (Vegan High-Protein)
This Green Goddess Pasta Salad with Chickpeas is perfect for packed lunches or quick midweek meals and tastes amazing. It has a creamy vibrant green dressing, fresh vegetables and chickpeas with lots of herbs.
If you love a good pasta salad for meal prep lunches or dinners or for picnics (even if they are inside now!) and for speedy meals, this one is for you. It combines my love of all things green and fresh with protein-rich chickpeas and an array of vegetables. The end result is a filling, wholesome and nourishing pasta dish that everyone will love. It lasts well in the fridge so you can enjoy leftovers for the next couple of days, too.
Why will I love this pasta salad?
This pasta salad is delicious:
- Vibrant, wholesome and nourishing
- Packed with goodness
- Creamy, smooth with crunch and texture
- Made with real wholefood ingredients
- Naturally high in protein and fibre
- A great source of vitamins and minerals
- Rich in plant diversity
- Great for the gut
- Has a creamy green goodness-style dressing
- Made with healthy fats for brain power
- Contains chickpeas for protein
- Easy to prep in 10 minutes
- Ready in the time it takes to cook pasta
- Naturally plant-based, dairy-free and egg-free
- Easily gluten-free and nut-free
- Great for all the family
- Ideal for meal prep
- Great for speedy midweek meals
If you already love the sound of this pasta meal, then skip ahead to the recipe card below. Or, first let’s discuss the recipe in more detail.
What ingredients do I need?
You can see the ingredients with weights in the recipe card below, and see my favourites and recommended products in the “shop the recipe” section.
For the green goddess sauce:
- Silken tofu: this is the key to the creamiest, thickest and most delicious sauce with nuts. It’s high in protein and blends up really easily into the best dressing.
- Dairy-free yoghurt: this makes the sauce really creamy and fresh without using mayonnaise. I like natural Cocos Organic coconut yoghurt or NUSH natural almond milk yoghurt.
- Lemon: for zest and lightness.
- Garlic: for a bit of zing and rich flavour.
- Fresh basil, mint and parsley/coriander: this makes the dressing green as well as herby and flavoursome.
- Nutritional yeast: this adds a umami-richness to the sauce, but is optional so feel free to leave it out if you don’t have any.
- Salt and pepper: for seasoning.
As for the salad:
- Pasta shapes: you can use any small pasta shapes and they can be wheat, spelt or legume based, too. I’ve used messicani pasta shapes here.
- Chery tomatoes: these are so juicy and sweet and great for pasta salads.
- Sweetcorn: I used leftover charred corn on the cob, but fresh tins of sweetcorn also works really well.
- Chickpeas: these add so much protein and fibre to the dish and make it more filling. try using cannellini or butterbeans, too.
- Fresh herbs: as above.
- Toasted pine nuts: these work so well in pasta salads but to make this recipe nut-free, swap them for sunflower seeds.
Is this gluten-free and nut-free?
This pasta salad is naturally gluten-free as long as you use gluten-free pasta shapes. To keep this nut-free, check your yoghurt for nuts and leave off the pine nuts (you can use sunflower seeds instead).
How do I make this?
This pasta salad comes together in the time it takes to boil pasta:
- Boil the pasta: cooking it al dente (or softer, if you prefer).
- Blend together all of the dressing ingredients: until smooth and creamy.
- Chop all of the veggies: for the salad.
- Toss all of the ingredients together: and enjoy.
How long will it last?
You can eat this straight away or keep leftovers in the fridge in a sealed container for 2-3 days.
What other recipes can I try?
For other quick and easy meal prep ideas:
- Sweet Chilli Tofu and Aubergine Rice Bowls
- Broccoli Bites with Whipped Tahini
- Chickpea Chuna Crunch Wraps
- Guacamole Pasta Salad
- Harissa Tofu Tabouleh Salad Jars
Green Goddess Pasta Salad with Chickpeas (Vegan High-Protein)
This Green Goddess Pasta Salad with Chickpeas is perfect for packed lunches or quick midweek meals and tastes amazing. It has a creamy vibrant green dressing, fresh vegetables and chickpeas with lots of herbs.
Ingredients
For the Dressing:
- 1 x 300g pack silken tofu (drained weight 290g)
- 4 tbsp thick coconut or other dairy-free yoghurt
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 2 bunches fresh basil, leaves only
- 2 bunches fresh mint, leaves only
- Small bunch fresh parsley or coriander
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast, optional
- Salt and pepper
For the Pasta Salad:
- 320g small pasta shapes
- 320g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 large or 2 small charred corn cobs (or 1 large tin sweetcorn), 320g corn
- 2 tins chickpeas, drained (drained total weight 480g)
- 4 spring onions, chopped small
- 1 small bunch fresh basil, torn
- 1 small bunch fresh mint, torn
To Serve:
- 4 tbsp toasted pine nuts or sunflower seeds
- Extra basil and/or mint
Instructions
- Start by cooking the pasta according to packet instructions (mine was 8 minutes until al dente). Drain and leave to one side.
- For the dressing, add all of the ingredients to a small blender and blend until really smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper.
- Prepare the tomatoes, slice the corn off the cooked cobs or drain the tin of chickpeas. Pat the chickpeas dry and slice the spring onions.
- Add the cooked pasta to a large mixing bowl and add in the tomatoes, corn, chickpeas, spring onion and fresh herbs. Pour over the dressing and toss well.
- Serve in bowls topped with some pine nuts or seeds and extra herbs.
- Enjoy straight away or keep in a sealed container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
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Stay in touch
I look forward to hearing what you think of this Green Goddess Pasta Salad with Chickpeas so please let me know in the comments below and leave a star review above. If you do make these, I’d love to see so please tag me, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest – please say hello!
With green goddess love x
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