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Chickpea and fennel pasta salad

4

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.

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Ingredients

Uncooked orzo

0.75 cup(s)

Table salt

0.25 tsp

Fresh lemon juice

2 Tbsp

Olive oil

1 Tbsp

Fresh oregano

1 Tbsp

Dijon mustard

2 tsp

Kosher salt

1.5 tsp

Jarred minced garlic

0.5 tsp

Black pepper

0.25 tsp

Canned chickpeas

1 can(s)

Plum tomato

4 medium

Uncooked fennel bulb(s)

1 medium

Roasted red peppers (packed in water)

12 oz

Crumbled feta cheese

0.25 cup(s)

Shallot(s)

3 Tbsp, chopped

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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