Sustainably Sourced: Mediterranean Chickpea Pasta Salad

by Michaella and Lindsay

Whether you’re a vegan, vegetarian, gluten avoider or lactose intolerant,  you may even just want to feel healthy; this Mediterranean chickpea pasta summer salad ticks all the boxes.

Whether it’s lunch for two, a braai or pool party, pasta salad is one of summer’s go-to recipes that’s sure to satisfy…

That is, until you or your guests have specific dietary requirements and your favourite becomes unhealthy and tricky. Summer gatherings don’t mean you have to compromise on your conscious eating programme or deal with a plethora of allergy reactions (yikes!)

Our handmade pasta in this recipe is made with our organic, GMO free and 100% sustainably sourced chickpeas. It’s high in protein and fibre, vegan friendly, gluten-free, and keeps you fuller for longer. It’s also kind to your digestive system, and of course, nutritious for your body.

Chickpeas give a delicious nutty flavour to the pasta which really enhances the tastes of this salad. You can serve it at room temperate or cold, and as a main meal or side dish.

Here’s how you make it:

Preparation guidelines

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 6 minutes

Serves: 4 as a main meal and 6 as side dish

Ingredients

For the pasta salad: 

• 250g Happy Earth People chickpea pasta
• 2 cups rosa tomatoes, halved and roasted or pan-fried
• 1 large aubergine, sliced and roasted or pan-fried
• 1/3 cup pine nuts, lightly pan-roasted
• 2 cups wild rocket
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• Lemon juice of 1/4 of a lemon
• Salt and pepper for seasoning

For the olive oil dressing:

• 1/3 cup good-quality olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried sweet basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

 

 

Method

1. Prepare the rosa tomatoes and aubergine by cutting the tomatoes in half and slicing the aubergine into rounds.
2. Now make the dressing. Add the olive oil, white wine vinegar, water, salt, dried sweet basil and dried oregano to a mason jar or tight-sealing container. Seal it with the lid and shake until all the ingredients are mixed.
3. Place each aubergine round on a pan and drizzle olive oil onto each round. Flip the rounds occasionally until both sides of each round are cooked and crisping. Repeat until all the aubergine is cooked. Remove from the pan, roughly chop and set aside.
4. Boil 1.5 litres of water in a pot with a pinch of salt. Add Happy Earth People chickpea pasta to the pot and cook the pasta for 5 minutes. (The packaging recommends cooking the pasta for 6 minutes. For cold pasta salads, we recommended you cook the pasta for less than the recommended time so the salad does not become mushy). After 5 minutes, drain the pasta in a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
5. While the pasta is cooking, add the pine nuts to the same pan used to cook the aubergine. Move the nuts around to coat with any olive oil left over from the aubergine. Stir occasionally until the pine nuts are roasted (lightly browned). Remove the nuts from the pan and set aside.
6. Place the pasta in a serving bowl and drizzle half the olive oil dressing over it. Stir gently.
7. Cook the rosa tomatoes in a drizzle of olive oil until they have softened. Add a dash of salt and pepper and stir.
8. Add the cooked rosa tomatoes, aubergine and roasted pine nuts into the serving bowl with the pasta.
9. Chop the fresh basil and parsley. Add to the serving bowl with the other ingredients.
10. Roughly tear the wild rocket into smaller pieces to make it easier to toss with the other ingredients in the pasta salad. Add the wild rocket to the rest of the ingredients.
11. Squeeze the juice of a 1/4 lemon over the pasta dish.
12. Drizzle the remainder of the olive oil dressing over the pasta salad and gently toss. Season with salt and pepper.
13. Serve at room temperature or pop the pasta salad into the fridge for later. Enjoy!

Whatever the occasion, this pasta recipe is guaranteed to give mouthfuls of health, taste and satisfaction on so many levels!

 

About the authors:

We’re Michaella and Lindsay. Just two young creatives who love to eat good food that’s good for our beautiful planet too.

After spending time overseas, we were inspired by all of the wonderful, conscious cafes dedicated to sustainability that lined the streets of Europe.  One of our favorite places to find the best cafes and eat wholesome, nourishing food is in a little city in  The Netherlands called Haarlem.

Why we care about sustainability:

We got our inspiration for Green Seeker from spending time in these eateries and cafes that exposed us to the movement towards sustainability. Eating consciously is a way of life for the Dutch. We wanted to bring this philosophy back with us and help people just like ourselves to find sustainable places to get lunch, dinner, grab a coffee or a sweet treat.

We came together to build Green Seeker for those fellow green seekers who find joy in eating, spending time and money at eateries who share their eco-values. This site is built on the simple idea that if we expose and promote sustainable businesses, the easier it will be for consumers like us to make better decisions