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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 flavorful 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. Because this recipe makes such a large yield try it with garlic-grilled chicken skewers at your next outdoor gathering. Or since it’s also delicious chilled, plan to reserve the leftovers for a quick lunch or super later in the week. We’ve used orzo but you could use any other short shaped pasta like small sea-shell or macaroni if you have either of them already stored in your pantry.

Ingredients

Uncooked orzo

¾ cup(s)

Table salt

¼ tsp, for cooking orzo

Fresh lemon juice

2 Tbsp

Olive oil

1 Tbsp, extra virgin

Fresh oregano

1 Tbsp, minced

Dijon mustard

2 tsp, grainy variety

Kosher salt

1½ tsp

Jarred minced garlic

½ tsp

Black pepper

¼ tsp

Canned chickpeas

1 can(s), (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)

Shallot

3 Tbsp, chopped, 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. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

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