Chickpea Caesar Pasta Salad
This chickpea Caesar pasta salad recipe has all of the wonderful flavors of traditional Caesar salad but made hearty, delicious, and plant-based! A great lunch or dinner option that is tasty and inexpensive to make.
Servings: 6 2-cup servings
Calories: 312kcal
Equipment
- Pot
Ingredients
Marinated Chickpeas
- 1 14- ounce can chickpeas
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the Salad
- 8 ounces rotini pasta
- 1 large head romaine lettuce chopped
- 1 cup seasoned croutons
- 1/3 cup shredded vegetarian Parmesan cheese optional
Creamy Vegetarian Caesar Dressing
- 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 2 to 4 tablespoons water if needed to thin the dressing
- 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
Instructions
- If marinating the chickpeas, drain and rinse the canned chickpeas and place them in a bowl with the rest of the marinade ingredients: olive oil, apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Let them sit for at least 15 minutes, but up to 1 day in advance. If you aren't marinating the chickpeas, you can skip this step.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and cook the pasta according to package directions. Once finished cooking, rinse under cold water, drain, and set aside.
- Make the dressing: in a small bowl, mix together the Caesar dressing ingredients.
- In a large serving bowl add in the marinated chickpeas, cooled noodles, chopped Romaine lettuce, and croutons.
- Pour the dressing over the salad, and toss well to combine.
- Top with vegetarian parmesan cheese, and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
Additions and Substitutions
You can use any shape of pasta you prefer. Doesn't have to be rotini. Penne, macaroni, or any other medium-shaped pasta will work well in this salad. Use a gluten-free or chickpea pasta if desired.
If you have a store-bought vegetarian Caesar dressing that you like, you can certainly use it in place of our homemade recipe below. Use between one cup to 1 and 1/2 cups depending on how creamy you want your salad.
And there are plenty of options to replace the romaine lettuce! You can use massaged kale, baby spinach, or a spring mix if desired.
Expert Tips
- If you are meal prepping this recipe, try not to toss the romaine lettuce with the rest of the ingredients until right before serving. You can mix up the Caesar dressing and toss that with the pasta, chickpeas, and croutons first. Tossing the romaine lettuce with the dressing will make it wilt quicker, so do that right before serving.
- Marinating the chickpeas is optional for flavor. If you are short on time, plain canned chickpeas are also delicious.
- And feel free to add more of your favorite protein to this salad as well. It's great with grilled tofu or tempeh.
Nutrition
Calories: 312kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 564mg | Potassium: 491mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 9159IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 175mg | Iron: 3mg