Remember last summer when everyone was making the viral “Jennifer Aniston” salad? While I’m not one to jump on every trend I see on social media, this one ended up too good not to make and share on the blog.
Like the name suggests, my ambitious take on this glorious herby chickpea feta pasta salad has a pasta base for all of those yummy mix-ins and that sweet, tangy lemon vinaigrette. We’re getting freshness from tons of different herbs, a little crunch from pistachios and cucumber, plenty of salty, savory flavor from feta cheese, and a boost of protein from chickpeas.
I mean, what’s not to love?! This pasta salad is SO quick and easy to make, bursting with summer flavors, and incredibly satisfying. Enjoy it as a main meal or a side dish for your next BBQ!
Everything you’ll need to make this chickpea feta pasta salad
This fresh, absolutely delicious salad is my take on Jennifer Aniston’s famous salad. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Pasta: our girl Jen uses bulgar in her viral salad recipes, but I opted for pasta because pasta salad + summer = a match made in heaven. I used orzo photographed here, but see below for tons of options!
- Chickpeas: you’ll get a boost of protein by adding a can of chickpeas.
- Veggies & herbs: were adding Persian cucumbers, heirloom cherry tomatoes, pickled red onions, and tons of fresh herbs like parsley, mint (or basil), and dill. Feel free to use what you have!
- Mix-ins: get some crunch from roasted pistachios, and saltiness from feta cheese to round out the flavors.
- For the dressing: the easy lemon vinaigrette is made with fresh lemon juice, olive oil, dijon mustard, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes, a little sugar or honey, and black pepper.
Make this salad your own
Like pretty much all salad recipes, this chickpea feta pasta salad is easy to customize to your taste preferences. Here’s what I can suggest:
- Pick your pasta: feel free to use any shape you’d like! I love fusilli, orzo, bowties, and casarecce. Gluten-free pasta works perfectly, too.
- Try a new grain: not into the noodles? Try bulgar (like Jennifer), farro, quinoa, or pearl couscous.
- Keep it vegan: simply omit the feta and use sugar instead of honey in the dressing.
- Mix up the veggies: I think bell pepper and creamy avocado would also be great in this salad.
- Go nut free: omit the pistachios or swap them for sunflower seeds or pepitas instead.
Find your perfect dressing
In the viral Jennifer Aniston salad she uses a mix of just lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. I opted for a lemon vinaigrette that has more punch with the addition of dijon, garlic, etc. but my Healthy Lemon Basil Vinaigrette or my Healthy Greek Dressing would also be delicious.
Looking for an extra boost of protein?
This herby chickpea feta pasta salad packs 20g per serving as is, but feel free to toss in 1 cup of cooked, chopped chicken breast for an extra boost! My Baked or Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken would be perfect on the side or mixed into the salad.
Prep this chickpea and feta pasta salad ahead of time
If you plan to make this for a party or want to make it ahead of time, I recommend chopping the veggies, cooking the pasta, and mixing the dressing, then storing them in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to serve, Toss the pasta, veggies, herbs, and mix-ins together, then pour the dressing over and toss again.
Storing tips
Store any leftover pasta salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
More salad recipes you’ll love
- Herby Olive Italian Orzo Salad
- Scoop It Up Kale Couscous Salad
- Healthy Summer Broccoli Salad
- High Protein Salads in Jars that Make the Perfect Lunch
- Curried Chickpea Couscous Salad
Get all of my salad recipes here!
I hope you love this herby chickpea and feta pasta salad! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Herby Chickpea and Feta Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta (casarecce, orzo, fusilli or bowties are favorites!)
- 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 heaping cup chopped persian cucumber (about 4 persian cucumbers)
- 1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
- 6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about ¾ cup feta crumbles)
- ½ heaping cup roasted unsalted pistachios, roughly chopped
- ½ heaping cup pickled red onions
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ cup chopped fresh mint or basil
- 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- For the lemon vinaigrette:
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon sugar or honey
- Lots of freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente, according to the directions on the package. Drain, rinse with cool water for 1 minute and transfer to a large bowl.
- In the large bowl with the pasta, add the chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes, feta, pistachios, pickled red onions, parsley, mint and dill. Toss well to combine.
- Make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl or mason jar: add the lemon juice, olive oil, dijon, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes, sugar (or honey) and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Whisk until well combined and emulsified, or alternatively, place a lid on the jar and shake until well combined.
- Toss again to combine, then season with freshly ground salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4 to 6.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
8 comments
This looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it, but just one question – can I substitute zucchini for the cucumber,,,?
I haven’t tried a salad with raw zucchini but it should work fine!
Am I crazy, or should a vinaigrette dressing have some sort of vinegar in it? 🤔
This pasta salad is SOOOOO GOOD! The pickled onions and pistachios make is taste amazing!
New fav!! Glad you loved it!
This salad looks so delicious! I love everything about it. I’m looking forward to making it, but was wondering what suggestions you have for changes to lower the calorie count. I’m working on losing some weight and the calorie count seems higher than I’d like. I was wondering if using quinoa instead of a standard pasta would lower the calorie count. Or maybe just using less pasta (half of a pound instead of the whole container?) Do you have any suggestions? All the flavors included sound delicious and I don’t want to change the flavor profile (I especially love the pistachios and feta!) but would love to make a couple of tweaks to get this closer to 400-450 calories. Thanks so much!
Hi! Hmm you could reduce the amount of pasta if you’d like, or swap half of it for greens like kale! Reducing the pistachios and feta will also bring the count down.
WOW another amazing recipe. This salad is too good and so easy to make. Grocery store was out of stock so instead of pistachios I did cashews and roasted salted edamame (drool). Dill and basil are magic together and the vinaigrette is so light and delicious.