Easy Vegetable Pasta Salad

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This Vegetable Pasta Salad with a tangy lemon dressing is packed with good-for-you ingredients including whole wheat pasta, chickpeas, chopped fresh vegetables, fresh herbs, and feta cheese.

246 CAL 31g CARBS 10g FAT 10g PROTEIN
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Made with a flavorful combination of whole wheat pasta, veggies, fresh herbs, and feta cheese; this recipe for Vegetable Pasta Salad is guaranteed to ‘wow’ your taste buds. It’s perfect for making in bulk, so you can serve it up for healthy lunches all week long!

With summer just around the corner, I figured it was the perfect time to share with you the ultimate Healthy Pasta Salad recipe. Bursting with fresh, vibrant flavors and a ton of protein and nutrients, this is easily one of my all-time favorite summer dishes.

I don’t know about you, but I am all about fresh flavors and cool dishes in the blazing hot summertime. Winter may be soup season, but summer is definitely pasta salad season. I’ve tried quite a few pasta salads in my day, but this one takes the cake as one of my absolute favorites. With so many fresh vegetables, herbs, and a delicious healthy salad dressing, you just can’t beat it.

This healthy Pasta Salad makes a fantastic meal prep dish and is also a hit at pool parties, family dinners, and backyard barbecues. For the perfect summer barbecue, I like to serve this dish alongside my Grilled Chicken or Grilled Pork Chops along with a grilled veggie like this Garlic Grilled Eggplant or Grilled Cauliflower. It’s a combination of bold, fresh flavors that guarantees to make for an unforgettable event!

Ingredients for vegetable pasta salad including whole wheat pasta, cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, feta cheese, and chickpeas.

What You'll Need to Make a Healthier Pasta Salad

To bring this simple dish to life, you will need the following key ingredients:

  • Whole wheat pasta: I like to use a medium-sized pasta shape for this recipe like small penne or fusilli. You could swap in any type of pasta you like, including alternative pastas like those made with chickpeas or lentils.
  • Veggies: You will need cherry tomatoes, broccoli, yellow or orange bell peppers, Persian cucumbers, and chickpeas. This recipe works with pretty much any veggies you like or have on hand, so feel free to swap in your favorites.
  • Herbs: We use fresh basil and fresh parsley to brighten up the rest of our ingredients and add a ton of delicious flavor. Cilantro, dill, and chives are also delicious.
  • Feta cheese: I love the tangy flavor that feta brings to this dish! If you aren’t a fan, you can sub this out for goat cheese or mozzarella cheese.
  • Lemon juice: The acidity in this ingredient brightens up all the flavors in our pasta salad.
  • Italian seasoning: This is my go-to spice mix to add to my salad dressing. It adds the perfect burst of savory flavors while complementing our fresh ingredients.

Recipe Variations

Here are some of my favorite ways to change up this dish:

  • Add a protein: Try bulking up this dish by adding your favorite protein source like grilled chicken, steak, or shrimp.
  • Add a green base: To lighten up this dish even further, try reducing the amount of pasta and making the base a combination of pasta and greens like arugula or chopped spinach.
  • Switch up the spices: Looking for a different flavor profile? Leave out the Italian seasoning and swap it for your favorite combination of spices. You can also change up the herbs to complement the spices you choose.
  • Grill your veggies: For a fun twist and a deeper depth of flavor, try grilling your tomatoes, broccoli, and bell peppers. Make sure to let them cool down before adding them to your pasta salad.
  • Make it vegan: You can easily make this dish vegan by swapping out the feta cheese for your favorite vegan alternative or by leaving out the cheese altogether.
  • Change up the cheese: If you want to swap out the feta cheese, try using goat cheese, mozzarella cheese, or a shredded Italian blend of cheeses instead.

Make Ahead Tips

Looking to make this dish ahead of time? Here are some of my top tips:

  • You can make the dressing up to a week in advance. Once you’ve mixed the ingredients, store the salad dressing in a jar or glass bottle in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
  • The pasta salad can be prepared anywhere from a few hours ahead of time to the night before. This comes especially in handy if you’re planning an event and want to limit your prep time on the day of.
  • The vegetables and chickpeas can be prepped up to 12 hours in advance and stored in separate containers in the fridge until you’re ready to throw the dish together.
  • Save some of the fresh herbs and a lemon wedge for the garnish, it makes the pasta salad extra beautiful when you’re ready to serve it.

How to Store Vegetable Pasta Salad

While you could technically freeze this dish if needed, I wouldn’t recommend it. Freezing pasta salad tends to result in mushy vegetables and bland pasta, so I would refrain from freezing the dish unless you absolutely have to. The best way to store pasta salad is by transferring it to an airtight container and storing it in the fridge for up to one week.

Whole wheat pasta salad in a bowl with cucumbers, broccoli, tomatoes, bell peppers, and feta cheese with dressing being poured on top.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below you will find answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about this dish:

What ingredients can I add to pasta salad?

When it comes to pasta salad, there really aren’t many limitations as far as what you can add. Any vegetable, herb, nut, seed, cheese, or protein that you would ordinarily add to a salad can be used in a pasta salad. If you have a bunch of leftover ingredients in the fridge you’re looking to get rid of, pasta salad makes the perfect fridge clean-out meal.

Can I use store-bought dressing for pasta salad?

Of course. While I like making my own because it’s easier and more cost-efficient, you can use any store-bought Italian dressing that you like.

Can pasta salad be made the day before?

Yes! You can prep the pasta salad the day before and store it in the fridge in an airtight container until you’re ready to enjoy it. I’ve found that pasta salad is often even more flavorful the next day, as it gives the flavors more time to really come together.

What goes with pasta salad?

Because this dish covers our bases on starch and veggies, I always like to pair it with a nice protein. Hamburgers, hot dogs, steak, grilled chicken, and shrimp all make great protein dishes to pair with pasta salad. You can also add grilled vegetable sides like corn, eggplant, and zucchini.

How to make this a creamy pasta salad?

If you prefer a creamy salad dressing, simply swap in yogurt or mayonnaise for the olive oil in the recipe. This will make a delicious creamy dressing that works great with the pasta salad. You could also try this creamy Greek dressing.

Healthy pasta salad with chickpeas, feta cheese, chopped vegetables, and a lemon dressing in a white bowl with fresh herbs.

More Healthy Pasta Recipes

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The Recipe
Vegetable pasta salad with cooked whole wheat pasta, chopped fresh vegetables, chickpeas, and feta cheese topped with lemon dressing.

Easy Vegetable Pasta Salad

246 CAL 31g CARBS 10g FAT 10g PROTEIN
PREP TIME: 10 Min
COOK TIME: 10 Min
TOTAL TIME: 20 Min
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Ingredients

US METRICS
  • 8 oz whole wheat pasta, cooked and cooled
  • 1.5 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1.5 cups canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup broccoli florets, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 cup Persian cucumbers, chopped
  • 1/2 cup reduced fat crumbled feta cheese
  • 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
  • 1/4 cup basil, chopped
  • 3 tbsp olive oil (dressing)
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice (dressing)
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard (dressing)
  • 1 tsp garlic powder (dressing)
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning (dressing)
  • 1 Salt and pepper (dressing)

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Instructions

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1

Whisk together the dressing ingredients - olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.

Lemon olive oil dressing in a glass jar for healthy pasta salad.
2

Toss the pasta, chopped vegetables, feta cheese, basil, and parsley with the dressing. Taste and season as needed.

Cooked pasta, bell peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, feta cheese, and chickpeas in a bowl.
Nutritional Facts
Serving Size: 1.25-1.75 cups
Amount Per Serving
Calories 246
Calories from Fat 94
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 10g
16%
Saturated Fat 2g
10%
Monounsaturated Fat 0g
0%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0g
0%
Cholesterol 5mg
2%
Sodium 347mg
15%
Total Carbohydrate 31g
10%
Dietary Fiber 3g
13%
Sugars 3g
Protein 10g

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

The Nutritional Values provided are estimates only and may vary based on the preparation method.

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About the author Meet Kristen McCaffrey
Hi, I’m the cookbook author, recipe developer, and food enthusiast behind Slender Kitchen. I am obsessed with making healthy food that is easy to prepare and absolutely delicious. Meal planning is my secret weapon and I hope I can make meal time easier for you with our tried and tested recipes and foolproof meal plans. Learn More
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