Recipe #4: Chickpea Pasta Salad

Dried beans always taste better than canned beans, no question. With prices increasing, I explored the possibility of buying bulk beans from Palouse Brand (not a sponsored link!). Based in Washington state, the company sells lentils, chickpeas, black beans, wheat berries, and more.

Palouse’s website included a “Favorite Recipes” section. The Chickpea Pasta Salad caught my eye as an easy recipe to prepare and to stuff with veggies. I adjusted some things to make the recipe vegan and to use what I had on hand.

Here are the ingredients I used

• 16 ounces fusilli bucati

• 2 zucchini, sliced and quartered

• 10 ounces grape tomatoes, halved

• 1 can large olives

• 1 can chickpeas

• 1 bottle Italian dressing

Here is the procedure I used

1. Boil the pasta. Stop cooking just short of your preferred doneness. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain again. Add to oversized mixing bowl.

2. Slice and quarter the zucchini. Add to the mixing bowl.

3. Halve the grape tomatoes. Add to the mixing bowl.

4. Open and drain the olives. Add to the mixing bowl.

5. Open and drain the chickpeas. Rinse if you prefer. Add to the mixing bowl.

6. Mix the ingredients in the bowl. Add most of the salad dressing, reserving some for refreshing the salad in a couple days. Combine thoroughly.

Here is how it went

The recipe is incredibly easy, as it is mostly cutting and combining in a mixing bowl.

The recipe is also versatile, as you can add or remove ingredients as you wish. I found myself wanting more vegetables, such as yellow squash, bell peppers, cucumbers, and maybe even fresh corn.

Here is what I would change

Of course, every recipe inspires further changes in its next rounds. I definitely will visit this recipe again but with some potential changes:

Cut the recipe in half. I ended up canceling my menu plans for the week in order to prevent this recipe from going to waste. It easily made four pounds or more of food.

Make your own salad dressing from scratch. I spent 15 minutes searching for a bottled dressing that didn’t have too many questionable ingredients. I could have spent that time pulling my own dressing together, and it would have tasted better.

Remove the pasta. Don’t get me wrong — I love pasta as much as any carb lover. But with all the vegetables and the chickpeas, the recipe was hearty enough.

Add more vegetables, such as the yellow squash mentioned above.

Add some tofu feta.

52 Recipes is a newsletter about trying 52 new recipes without breaking the bank. Your suggestions for recipes or techniques to try are welcome. I look forward to your comments.