Chickpea and Fennel Pasta Salad
3
Points®
Total time: 30 min • Prep: 20 min • Cook: 10 min • Serves: 8 • Difficulty: Easy
This Mediterranean-influenced pasta salad gets its crunch and slight sweetness from raw diced fennel while feta cheese gives it a flavourful punch. Both ingredients marry well with herbaceous, lemon-Dijon homemade dressing. Don’t discard the fennel’s fronds so you can use them to garnish the finished dish.
Ingredients
Uncooked orzo
¾ cup(s)
Table salt
¼ tsp(s), for cooking orzo
Fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp(s)
Olive oil
1 tbsp(s), extra virgin
Fresh oregano
1 tbsp(s), minced
Dijon mustard
2 tsp(s), grainy variety
Kosher salt
1½ tsp(s)
Minced garlic
½ tsp(s)
Black pepper
¼ tsp(s)
Canned undrained chickpeas
15 oz, rinsed and drained
Plum tomato
4 medium, seeded, chopped
Uncooked fennel bulb
1 medium, trimmed, diced (reserve 1/2 cup fennel fronds)
Roasted red peppers (packed in water)
12 oz, rinsed, drained, chopped (about 1 cup)
Crumbled feta cheese
¼ cup(s)
Shallots
3 tbsp(s), minced
Instructions
1
Cook orzo in salted boiling water until al dente, about 9 minutes; drain and let cool.
2
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, oil, oregano, mustard, kosher salt, garlic and pepper.
3
In a large bowl, combine orzo with chickpeas, tomatoes, fennel, roasted peppers, feta and shallot; drizzle with dressing and toss to coat. Garnish with chopped fennel fronds, if desired.
4
Yields about 1 cup per serving.
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