Roasted Vegetable Chickpea Pasta Salad
on Aug 29, 2022, Updated Feb 16, 2025
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There’s nothing better than a sheet pan fill in the blank. Any recipe that involves a lot of veggies roasted in the oven is always a win. And before you correct me, I know this roasted vegetable chickpea pasta salad is technically not full a sheet pan meal because you have to simmer the noodles on the stove, but it still has all that convenience. Most importantly, it’s tasty and has plenty of crispy, golden chickpeas.
These are the same magical chickpeas that I use to top my spinach stuffed sweet potatoes.
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Recipe
A sheet pan in the oven does most of the cooking for you. Of course, it does take some effort to do the cutting and prep, but then just toss those vegetables on the pan. Roasting will transform in the oven.
You can multitask. While the zucchini, squash, peppers, tomatoes and chickpeas are roasting, you have plenty of time to cook the pasta. It’s so easy.
This is a great vegetarian and gluten-free pasta salad that’s shareable for a crowd and adaptable for multiple tastes and dietary preferences while being appealing for everyone. You can skip the cheese to make it vegan.
What Is Chickpea Pasta?
Call it a continual reinvention, but different types of pasta keep appearing on the grocery store shelves. I will forever be a fan of the standard blend of flour, water and eggs, but these new variations are very exciting too. That’s because they involve more nutrition like fiber and protein. Also, they have less carbs and calories than traditional pasta.
Made from legumes, chickpea pasta is a bit chewier and has more texture. I love that it has its own style and personality that’s not trying to pretend it’s the real thing. As you cook this pasta, the water does get foamy, so rinse it off with water in a colander when it is ready. Since you’re making gluten-free pasta salad, this is a step you would do anyway no matter what kind of noodles you’re using.
The Ingredients
This is what you need:
- Vegetables: I include a mix of diced zucchini, yellow squash and red peppers and halved grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes. They roast together with the chickpeas on the pan.
- Chickpeas: Open a can, drain and rinse them before adding these garbanzo beans to the veggies.
- Pasta: I like doubling down and using chickpea pasta with the roasted chickpeas, but you can use any type that you have in your pantry like whole wheat pasta. Shorter shapes work best such as rotini pasta, gemelli or penne.
- Garlic cloves roast in the oven, and then they get mashed into the dressing.
- Olive oil: For the best flavor, use extra virgin olive oil.
- Parmesan cheese is a finishing touch. If you want to keep things vegan, use nutritional yeast instead. For something saltier, swap in crumbled feta cheese.
- Scallions & chives both add nice onion flavor. You can include fresh parsley and fresh basil too for more options of fresh herbs. If you want, you can swap scallions for a thinly sliced red onion.
- Vinegar: The dressing calls for white wine vinegar, but you can substitute with red wine vinegar or champagne vinegar. Keep it light.
- Mustard adds flavor to the vinaigrette and helps it emulsify.
- Salt & pepper season the vegetables and the vinaigrette.
How To Make This Chickpea Pasta Salad
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
1. Stir the zucchini, yellow squash, peppers, tomatoes, chickpeas and garlic with olive oil, salt and pepper in a big bowl.
2. Arrange the veggies, chickpeas and garlic on two sheet pans in a single layer with the tomatoes cut side up. You won’t be able to fit everything onto just one pan.
3. Roast the vegetables until they are browned at the edges and the chickpeas are crispy, about 25-30 minutes. Give them 10 minutes to cool.
4. Cook the pasta while the vegetables are roasting. Follow the package directions, cooking until al dente in salted boiling water. Then rinse in a colander with cold water.
5. Make the vinaigrette. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins into a small bowl and mash them and stir them with the mustard, salt, vinegar and oil.
6. Assemble the pasta salad. Combine the vegetables, chickpeas, scallions, chives, parmesan and pasta. Then pour in the vinaigrette.
Serving
This vegetable pasta salad is best served at room temperature right after you assemble it. That’s because the chickpeas lose their golden crispiness the longer they have been out of the oven. Treat this like a main dish salad or serve it as a side dish.
During the summer, it works well with anything grilled like tofu veggie skewers or grilled halloumi and veggies. I also like it with baked zucchini corn fritters. If you want a protein, you can also stir in chopped grilled or roasted chicken. For a shortcut, you can also use shredded rotisserie chicken.
Leftovers & Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days. The chickpeas will not be as crispy as they are when they’re freshly roasted. You can also add baby spinach or arugula to really turn this into a salad or to stretch your leftovers.
Recipe Tips
Do not overcook the pasta. Pay careful attention to the recommended cook time on the package instructions. If you see a range, always use the least amount of time, and even taste a noodle 30 seconds before that. The pasta should be al dente and have some bite.
Do not make the pasta ahead of time. For the best tasting pasta salad, wait to cook the noodles until you’re ready to assemble everything. You can make the vinaigrette up to 3 days in advance and store it in the fridge.
Check the seasonings. When dishes are served cold, they need more salt and pepper than when you eat something warm. After you have the pasta salad stirred together, taste it and see if it needs salt or pepper to jumpstart the flavors of all the ingredients.
Recipe FAQs
Either leave out the Parmesan cheese or use a plant-based, dairy free substitute.
Of course! If you prefer a pasta salad that’s more salad than pasta, go ahead and toss in chopped romaine, baby arugula or baby spinach.
More Chickpea Recipes
Chickpea Spinach Pasta
Sriracha Lime Chickpeas
Roasted Tomato Chickpea Quinoa Salad
Chickpea Greek Salad
Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas with Herby Tahini
More Pasta Salad Recipes
Classic Italian Pasta Salad with Tomatoes & Kalamata Olives
Roasted Broccolini Zucchini Pasta Salad
Southwestern Pasta Salad
Strawberry Cucumber Pasta Salad
Roasted Tomato Zucchini Pasta Salad
Tortellini Pasta Salad
Did you make this pasta salad? Please leave a comment and rating below. Thanks!
Roasted Vegetable Chickpea Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For pasta & vegetables
- 2 medium zucchini, diced
- 1 medium yellow squash, diced
- 2 red bell peppers, diced
- 1 pint grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1-15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 garlic cloves in their skins
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 8 ounces chickpea pasta (rotini, gemelli or penne)
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon minced chives
- 1/4 cup shaved parmesan plus more for serving
For vinaigrette
- 1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, stir the zucchini, yellow squash, peppers, tomatoes, chickpeas and garlic with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
- Spread the vegetables, chickpeas and garlic on 2 sheet pans in a single layer. Arrange the tomatoes cut side up.
- Roast the vegetables until they are browned at the edges and the chickpeas are crispy, about 25-30 minutes. Rotate the pans in the oven halfway through roasting. Let the vegetables cool for 10 minutes.
- While the vegetables are roasting, simmer the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water in a colander.
- For the vinaigrette, squeeze the roasted garlic cloves into a small bowl and mash and whisk them with the mustard, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, vinegar and 1/4 cup olive oil.
- Combine the roasted veggies and chickpeas in a large bowl with the pasta, scallions, chives and Parmesan. Then stir in the vinaigrette.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thanks For Sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope the will like it.
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One of our favorites ! Made it many times, delicious