High Protein Tuscan Chicken Pasta Salad
If you've ever wished pasta salad could be both crave-worthy and actually satisfying, then you need this High Protein Tuscan Chicken Pasta Salad in your life. It's creamy, tangy, herby, and loaded with all the good stuff. When you use a protein-rich chickpea pasta, each serving clocks in around 35 grams of protein.
Servings 6 Servings
Calories 470kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Sun-dried Tomato Protein Dressing
- 1 Cup Whole Milk Cottage Cheese I use Good Culture
- ¼ Cup Sun-dried Tomatoes in Oil drained
- 1 Lemon juiced
- ¼ Cup Avocado Oil
- 1 Teaspoon Paprika
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- ½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- ¼ Cup Water if needed
For the Salad
- 12 Ounces Chickpea Protein Pasta or pasta of choice
- 15 Ounces Can of Chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 2 Cups Cooked Chicken Breast shredded/chopped
- 2 Celery Stalks finely chopped
- ¼ Cup Sun-dried Tomatoes in Oil drained and roughly chopped
- 2 Persian Cucumbers chopped
- ¼ Cup Parsley finely chopped
Instructions
- To make this pasta salad, start by preparing the Sun-Dried Tomato Protein Dressing. Add all of the dressing ingredients (the cottage cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon juice, avocado oil, paprika, garlic, salt and pepper) to a blender and blend until creamy and smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed, then set the dressing aside.
- Next, prepare the pasta by cooking it according to the package instructions, but decrease the cook time by 2 minutes. The pasta should be al dente — firm, not soft. Once the pasta is done, drain it, rinse it under cold water to stop the cooking, and add it to a large bowl or meal-prep container.
- Then, drain and rinse the chickpeas and add them to the bowl with the pasta. Also add the chicken, celery, sun-dried tomatoes, cucumbers, and parsley.
- Finally, pour the dressing over the pasta salad ingredients and toss everything is evenly coated.
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 470kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 623mg | Potassium: 460mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 589IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 116mg | Iron: 7mg
