I crave Creamy Tahini Pasta Salad every week. Best meal prep salad ever. It’s filled with tangy, briny ingredients like kalamata olives and banana peppers, plus tons of veggies like spinach, bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes. I add lots of red wine vinegar to the dressing for extra tang. Get 10+ Healthy Pasta Salad Recipes HERE!
Why I Love This Recipe
- Briny: I love briny, tangy, vinegar-filled salads. I add banana peppers, kalamata olives, and vegan feta to this salad for the best flavor.
- Dairy-Free: You don’t need dairy to make a creamy delicious pasta salad. I make a homemade creamy dressing with tahini, plus vegan feta on top.
- Meal Prep Friendly: Pasta salad makes for the best meal prep. It doesn’t get soggy and holds up beautifully in the fridge. No reheating necessary!
- Gluten-Free Friendly: You can easily make Creamy Tahini Pasta Salad gluten-free by using gluten-free noodles.
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Notes on Ingredients
- Pasta: Any shape of pasta works. I prefer penne or fusilli for this recipe! Feel free to use gluten-free pasta to keep this dish gluten-free.
- Chickpeas: Drain the chickpeas and rinse well before adding to minimize any gas or bloat chickpeas can cause.
- Hearts of Palm: Drain the hearts of palm and chop before adding to the salad.
- Feta: I use dairy-free feta from Violife.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Use the sun-dried tomatoes soaked in olive oil and be sure to drain them first before chopping and adding to the salad.
- Olives: I like using pitted kalamata olives in this salad but green or black olives would also be great.
Please take note that this is important information about the ingredients used in this recipe and the FULL recipe with measurements and details can be found DOWN BELOW in the recipe card.
How do you make Creamy Tahini Pasta Salad?
- Cook the pasta. While pasta cooks, finely chop all of the veggies and drain and rinse chickpeas.
- Make the spiced chickpeas: add them to a glass bowl, spray with avocado oil, and add smoked paprika. Toss to combine then, microwave for 45 seconds until warm and slightly crispy.
- Once pasta is done cooking, strain and set aside.
- Make the dressing in the bottom of a large salad bowl.
- Add the pasta along with all of the veggies and chickpeas to the bowl.
- Toss well to combine and serve!
- Step 1: First, cook the pasta according to package instructions. Chop the veggies while the pasta cooks.
- Step 2: Mix the drained and rinsed chickpeas with avocado oil spray and paprika and microwave for 45 seconds-1 minute on high until warm.
- Step 3: Then, add the dressing ingredients to the bottom of a large bowl and whisk to combine.
- Step 4: Next, strain the pasta noodles and add them to the bowl.
- Step 5: Add all of the remaining pasta salad ingredients.
- Step 6: Lastly, toss well to combine evenly and serve!
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Commonly Asked Questions
Yes! Simply use gluten-free noodles and ensure anything you add to the salad is certified gluten-free if needed. Serve with Gluten-Free Cherry Cobbler for dessert.
Definitely. Pasta salad holds up well in the fridge! If you’d prefer to toss the salad just before serving, you can leave the dressing on the side. Otherwise, feel free to toss it all beforehand. It will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days, similar to my Meal Prep Kale & Orzo Salad!
I like adding plenty of crunch with veggies like bell pepper, hearts of palm, cherry tomatoes, and lettuce. Feel free to substitute or use what you have on hand! Get more pasta salad recipes here: 10+ Healthy Pasta Salads!
I like to use an extra-large wooden salad bowl with matching wooden salad tongs. It’s cute, it’s practical, and it holds a lot so you have plenty of room to toss the salad thoroughly.
“This is literally so good. So flavorful with all of the ingredients like olives and sun-dried tomatoes. I like to make a double batch of the tahini dressing to have leftovers for other salads throughout the week.”
– Jordan
Extra Helpful Tips
- Use gluten-free noodles to keep this pasta salad gluten-free friendly.
- Leftovers will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days. Pasta salad is eaten cold so no need to reheat!
- Chop all of the veggies super small and similar sizes to make for an even salad.
- Try making Green Girl Tofu Crunch Salad next!
- Watch me make this recipe on Instagram!
If you tried this Creamy Tahini Pasta Salad or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 5-star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Creamy Tahini Pasta Salad (plant-based!)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 oz pasta I use penne
- 1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- Avocado oil spray
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 can hearts of palm drained and chopped
- ½ cup feta crumbled, I use dairy-free
- 2 cups spinach chopped
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped
- ½ cup Kalamata olives pitted and halved
- ⅓ cup banana peppers chopped
Creamy Tahini Dressing
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil can sub avocado oil
- ⅓ cup tahini
- 3 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Juice of 1 lemon optional
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions. While pasta cooks, finely chop and prep all of the veggies and drain and rinse the chickpeas.
- Make the spiced chickpeas: add them to a glass bowl, spray with avocado oil, and add smoked paprika. Toss to combine then, microwave for 45 seconds – 1 minute until warm and slightly crispy.
- Once pasta is done cooking, strain and set aside.
- In the bottom of a large bowl, add all of the dressing ingredients and whisk well to combine.
- Add the pasta along with all of the veggies and chickpeas to the bowl.
- Toss well to combine and serve!
Notes
- Use gluten-free noodles to keep this pasta salad gluten-free friendly.
- Leftovers will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days. Pasta salad is eaten cold so no need to reheat!
- Chop all of the veggies super small and similar sizes to make for an even salad.
Jordan from the HealthyGirl Team says
This is literally so good. So flavorful with all of the ingredients like olives and sun-dried tomatoes. I like to make a double batch of the tahini dressing to have leftovers for other salads throughout the week.