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Updated July 14, 2021
Lemon Tahini Pasta Salad
Looking for a super healthy, fresh, and flavorful twist on pasta salad?
Just bored of the plain, boring original?
Either way, this Lemon Tahini Pasta Salad is an incredible alternative to your everyday classic pasta salad!
With what feels like an entire garden of vegetables, this pasta salad is loaded with plenty of fresh flavors, a hint of sweetness, and loads of variety!
Follow this super quick and easy recipe, and you’ll have an amazing crowd pleaser for any summer party.
For the salad:
This recipe might seem rather complicated due to the ingredient lists, but don’t worry at all!
A quick bit of chopping and simply boiling some pasta and you’re ready to go!
You’ll obviously want some pasta, it’s pasta salad after all! We personally used shells for this recipe, but you could absolutely use something like macaroni instead.
For veggies, you’ll want a can of chickpeas, some carrots, a red onion, a package of cherry tomatoes, a cucumber (or a few baby cucumbers, if you’d prefer), and green bell pepper!
Some additional feta cheese and parsley and you’re all set!
For the exact amounts and measurements, look below!
1 16 oz box of pasta shells
1 15 oz can drained chickpeas
¾ cup grated carrots
½ cup diced red onion
¾ cup sliced cherry tomatoes
1 cucumber, diced (or 3-4 baby cucumbers sliced)
1 green bell pepper, diced
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
⅓ bunch of parsley washed and chopped
For the dressing:
This delicious, thick dressing has a great blend of flavor, with the lemon juice and honey contrasting and complimenting each other perfectly.
The dressing coats the pasta and vegetables thoroughly and ends up perfectly smooth and refreshing.
It’s super simple to make, just follow these easy instructions!
In a small bowl or ramekin, first, add 1/2 cup of the tahini.
Next, add 1/4 cup of lemon juice and stir to thoroughly combine.
Now add 1/4 cup of honey and 3 tablespoons of cool water.
Combine it all together, add salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste.
Now your dressing is all ready for the salad!
1/2 cup tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons water
Sea salt and cracked pepper, to taste
Now we’re finally onto the salad!
There are a few pretty simple steps here that end up producing an amazing salad.
First, cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package.
When done, drain and rinse then allow cooling.
Next, rinse the chickpeas and set them aside for later.
Chop and grate the assorted vegetables and set them aside as well.
Now you’re ready to start mixing!
Now that your pasta is cooled you can begin mixing.
Toss the chopped and grated veggies in with the cooked pasta.
Then, mix the drained chickpeas in and give another rough toss.
Now that the body of your salad is done, it’s time to put the finishing touches on it!
In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.
If the dressing isn’t quite right, feel free to add a tiny bit more water.
If you want to, you can also add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
You’re almost done making this delicious salad!
Drizzle the dressing generously over the salad.
Garnish with feta cheese and some freshly chopped parsley.
Then, give it one final toss and you’re ready to serve!
If you want to add any other ingredients to this recipe, now is a fine time to do it as well.
Serve in a large bowl and you’re ready for a wonderful side salad!
You can also eat the salad on its own, just serve individually in a smaller bowl and you’re good to go.
This pasta salad goes wonderfully with some summer classics, and we found that it worked amazingly with a few chicken dishes.
Final Thoughts
We think you’ll enjoy this Lemon Tahini Pasta Salad as much as our family did!
It keeps well in the fridge, though it’s certainly best fresh.
Whether you’re making this for a nice, cool summer side salad or as its own meal, you’re sure to be satisfied with this one!
If you’d like a few recipes to pair this Lemon Tahini Pasta Salad with, we’ve got plenty of wonderful lunch and dinner recipes available!
Thank you so much for checking out this recipe, I hope you enjoy it!