This high protein pasta salad is a delicious meal option that combines chicken, chickpeas, and protein pasta for a filling and flavorful meal. This packs 25 grams of protein per serving. Make it in under 30 minutes for a quick and easy dish! Use these protein pasta noodles for a high protein and fiber option! (Affiliate link).
This recipe was inspired by a few of my other high-protein favorites, like this Sweet Potato and Ground Turkey Skillet and this creamy Avocado Pesto Chicken Pasta. For another protein-packed salad, don’t miss my top-rated Southwest Chicken Salad!
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Reasons to Love This
This dish is loaded with protein and fiber, making it a balanced and filling meal option.
This dish is quick & easy. Under 45 minutes from start to finish, including chopping and cooking.
Perfect for meal prep. The protein pasta salad keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days; making it great for meal prep or for grab-and-go lunches.
This dish is customizable. Swap in your favorite veggies, dressings, or herbs to keep things interesting.
Ingredients
These ingredients offer a balance of protein, fiber, and fresh flavor. Chicken provides lean protein, chickpeas add plant-based protein and fiber, and protein pasta boosts the total protein even more.
- Pasta Noodles: Using protein-rich pasta made from lentils or chickpeas adds extra protein and fiber to this salad, making it more filling and nutritious than traditional pasta. This is my favorite protein pasta option to use! (Affiliate link).
- Fresh vegetables: the peppers, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion add color, crunch, and essential vitamins and minerals. They keep the salad light and refreshing while boosting fiber content for better digestion and sustained energy
- Chicken breast: use a lean, skinless chicken breast. You can dice into pieces and fry in a pan with olive oil, or use a rotisserie or pre-cooked chicken option from the store.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities
Instructions
- Step 1: Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. Combine the pasta, peppers, tomatoes and chickepeas in a large bowl.
- Step 2: Add the cucumbers, onions, mozzzarella cheese and cubed chicken. Mix well.
- Step 3: Combine all ingredients for the vinagriette in a small bowl. Mix well.
- Step 4: Pour the vinagriette over the pasta salad and mix until combined. Chill in the refrigerator and serve cold.
Helpful Hint: To keep the pasta salad from getting soggy, rinse the cooked pasta under cold water and toss it with a little olive oil before mixing with the other ingredients. This helps prevent sticking and keeps the texture perfect.
Substitutions
- Replace chicken with tofu, extra beans or edamame for vegetarian/vegan options.
- Swap chickpeas for white beans or black beans.
- Use regular whole-wheat pasta if protein pasta isn’t available- just pair with extra chickpeas or chicken to keep protein robust.
- Hold the Dijon mustard in the vinaigrette dressing if you'd prefer.
Variations
Here's a couple ways to adapt this recipe to make it your own!
- Mediterranean twist: Add olives, feta cheese, and oregano.
- Southwest flair: Mix in corn, black beans, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.
- Spicy kick: Stir in red pepper flakes or a dash of hot sauce.
- Creamy option: Use Greek yogurt or a dollop of hummus in the dressing for extra protein and creaminess
Serving Suggestions
- Serve alongside a green salad or crispy bread.
- Top with crumbled feta, parmesan shavings, or toasted nuts for extra texture.
- Take it on the go! Pairs perfectly with a side of fruit or a hard-boiled egg for a well-rounded meal.
Expert Tips
- Use protein pasta made from legumes or pea protein to significantly boost protein per serving.
- Don’t overdress. Start light with the dressing—you can always add more, but you can’t remove it.
- Cool pasta before mixing to prevent it from soaking up all the dressing.
- Storage: Keeps best in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Add a splash of olive oil before serving to refresh it if it looks dry.
FAQ
Yes! It’s a great time-saving shortcut—just shred and toss in.
Add 1 tablespoon or more of olive oil to the warm pasta and mix well. Refridgerate immediately. This will help to prevent the pasta from sticking together.
Among vegetables, peas and spinach are some of the highest in protein. For example, cooked peas provide about 9 grams of protein per cup, while spinach offers around 5 grams per cooked cup. These veggies make great additions to salads when you want a protein boost.
1. Grilled chicken breast.
2. Chickpeas which are plant-based protein and fiber-rich.
3. Tofu or tempeh; perfect for vegetarian or vegan salads.
4. Hard-boiled eggs. These are an easy way to add complete protein and healthy fats.
More Salad Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dessert options to serve with this recipe:
Did you enjoy this recipe? Be sure to leave a 5-star review to let me know!
High Protein Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 12 oz chickpea pasta or alternative high protein pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb chicken breast cooked, chopped into cubes and cooled
- 1 can chickpeas
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese balls or cut from a cube
- 1 cucumber small
- 3 bell peppers red, orange or yellow
- 12 oz cherry tomatoes
- 1 small purple onion
- 1 cup black olives optional!
- 1 tablespoon basil fresh, chopped
Vinaigrette Dressing
- ½ cup olive oil extra virgin
- 6 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 tsp italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. Do not overcook!
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the cooked pasta and allow it to cool in the refrigerator. The olive oil prevents it from sticking together while cooling.
- Chop the mozzarella cheese, cucumber, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, purple onions and black olives into small peices.
- Combine the chopped vegetables, cheese, chickpeas, chicken and pasta in a large bowl. Mix until combined.
Vinaigrette Dressing
- Combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, salt, pepper, lemon juice and italian seasoning in a small bowl.
- Mix until combined.
- Drizzle the dressing over the pasta salad and mix until combined.
- Serve cold.
Notes
- Cook and cool the chicken breast before adding it to the pasta salad to prevent cheese from melting if warm chicken is added.
- Cook and cool the pasta before adding it to the salad to prevent it from melting the cheese and absorbing all of the dressing.
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the noodles after cooking to prevent them from sticking together while cooling.
- Add extra chicken breast to increase the protein content .
- Noodles: use any brand of high protein noodles. A couple of my favorites are the high-protein noodles or these high protein chickpea noodles (gluten free).
Anne says
Delicious!