If you are searching for a refreshing and easy dish to take to a summertime party, look no further. Lunch, dinner, side dish - this one works. It's filling, healthy, and doesn't include any oil or significant source of fat. This oil-free pesto pasta salad includes greens, chickpeas, and even apple to create a balanced and healthful meal or side. It's easy to adjust to whatever you have on hand, too. No arugula? Use kale. No chickpeas? Toss in some white beans or English peas.

You can use up what you have on hand for this one if you're missing an ingredient - it's flexible.

This salad is filling, and can certainly work as a meal in addition to a healthful side. Take it to a potluck to show your meat eating friends that plant-based or vegan meals do not have to be boring!

Pesto pasta salad with chickpeas, apple, and arugula

By PlantBasedRecipe.com  Dairy free, Low fat, Low or no sugar, Low sodium, Mains, Oil free, Salads, Sides  American, Fusion, Italian  No oil, Stovetop

June 29, 2017

• Prep: 15 mins
• Cook: 5 mins

Ingredients

3 cups cooked pasta

2 cups arugula and/or kale (packed)

2/3 cup chickpeas (cooked and rinsed)

1/3 cup pesto (find recipe here)

1/4 cup apple (cubed)

2 Tbsp lime juice

Directions

1Cook the pasta according to package directions. Any kind of pasta will work fine, from traditional to bean or pea-based pasta (look for one without many ingredients - many are simply bean or pea flour and water). In the pictures, I am using a low-processed chickpea based multicolor pasta that only contains 2 ingredients and takes about 4 minutes to cook. Drain and rinse well.

2Add the chopped apple, chickpeas, and lime juice to a large bowl and toss together well.

3Add the rinsed pasta and pesto (find recipe here), and toss to combine.

4Gently fold in the greens.

5Transfer to serving bowls, and season to taste. I am using black pepper in the photos.

Reserve the chickpea water (from the can, or cooking) for recipes that use aquafaba. Aquafaba is what you drain from the can or the water you cook with.
For alternative ingredients, more pictures, and other info - see the full blog post for this recipe.

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Garnishes for this salad are really flexible. I love the color these radishes gave the bowl. I also added a bunch of pepper.

What to garnish this one with

As you can see above, I used some radish (I chopped up some more and threw it on top after taking the photo). Because of the pesto, basil is another great one to throw on top of this. Like a bit of spice or heat? Red chili flakes or even a touch of hot sauce goes really nice on this pasta salad. A drizzle of lime juice goes well on top, too.

About the pasta

We try to use pastas that are the least processed. We look for ones that are only a couple ingredients, such as chickpea flour and water. That's what this pasta is, and we found it in our tiny town way out on Vancouver Island. So search around in the natural section of your supermarket or head to a health food store and see what they have. There are lots of healthier alternatives offered these days. I tend to lean towards chickpea pastas as the texture is a bit better than some of the bean ones I've tried.

Cool summertime salad: pesto pasta salad with chickpeas, arugula, and apple. Pin this image to save it for later on Pinterest!

• About
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Jen deHaan

Owner at Plant Based Recipe

Jen is a dance fitness instructor and plant-based nutrition enthusiast living in British Columbia, Canada. She has over 15 years experience in software, graphics, and art, including many years in Silicon Valley corporations. Jen completed the Developing Healthy Communities program at Tufts University's Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.

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