Vegan and protein-packed Lentil Pasta Salad with Tahini dressing. It's balanced, budget-friendly, and healthy. This high-protein salad doubles down on lentils, with cooked Puy lentils and red lentil pasta, for an abundance of plant-based protein.
Salads are not just for summer. This Lentil Pasta Salad can be enjoyed for lunch, dinner, and in all seasons. It will help you meet your protein requirements, as well as provide an abundance of nutrients. Serve as a main course or side salad.
Loaded with heart-healthy fats, plant-based protein, veggies, and fresh herbs, this is a nutritious meal. The combination of tangy pickled pepperoncini, juicy tomatoes, and the satisfying texture of the pasta come together deliciously. The lemon tahini dressing is versatile. Keep it in your culinary arsenal for other salad recipes.
This protein-packed Lentil Pasta Salad recipe was inspired by my Cowboy Rice Salad, as well as this low-carb Lentil Vegan Salad recipe on my site.
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👩🏼🌾 Ingredients
🥗 Substitutions
- Puy Lentils - Instead of Puy lentils, you can use any variety of French, green, or brown lentils, or substitute the lentils for 1 ½ cups of cooked beans. Use canned (drained) or ¾ cup dried.
- Red lentil pasta - use any variety of pasta, or omit the pasta entirely and add quinoa, farro, or barley instead
- Olive oil - Use water instead as desired. The tahini will seize at first, but keep mixing until a smooth consistency.
- Pepperoncini - omit as desired or substitute with banana peppers
This 5-Minute Lemon Herb Tahini Recipe also works well with this Lentil Pasta Salad. For more easy and healthy salads, visit my Vegan Salad Recipes page.
📖 How to Make Lentil Pasta Salad
Cook the pasta until al dente. Drained, and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
Step 1. Prep: Slice the red onion, and pepperoncini, and halve the grape tomatoes.
Step 2. Make the dressing: In a medium bowl or a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the lemon juice, red wine vinegar, tahini, Dijon, and maple syrup. Add olive oil or water to taste. Whisk until fully incorporated or shake the jar with the cover in place. Add salt and pepper.
Meal prep: Or prep this salad ahead of time and refrigerate.
For serving: Add the desired quantity of dressing and mix to incorporate.
💡Expert Tips
- Lentils: If you are cooking your lentils, use about ¾ cups dry. Place the lentils in water to cover by about 2 inches high. Add one bay leaf (and kombu if you have some). Bring the water to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes or until al dente. Do not overcook them. Salt them once they are done cooking.
- Dressing: This recipe makes extra dressing. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to one week.
- Storage: Refrigerate any remaining Lentil Pasta Salad in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
🍽 Related Recipes
🙋🏽♀️ Recipe FAQS
Short, twisty pasta shapes such as fusilli and rotini, as well as cavatappi, and a larger pasta referred to as 'corkscrew macaroni' hold up well to the dressing and play well with added veggies, lentils, and herbs.
Spiral pasta is perfectly designed for pasta salad because all the curves catch the dressing. The more complicated the shape, the more the dressing will stick because of the increased surface area.
Lentils are second to soybeans in the amount of plant-based protein when compared with other legumes. Lentils combined with whole grains, such as whole-grain pasta, make a complete protein of the same quality as found in meat. But lentils are a healthier choice for your heart and disease prevention.
Banana peppers and pepperoncini look very similar, but these two yellow-green peppers have a few key differences.
Banana peppers are a medium-sized bright yellow chili pepper with a zesty, mild taste. They can be eaten raw or pickled and are often added to sandwiches, salads, and even pizzas.
Pepperoncini are a type of yellow-green chili pepper with a mildly spicy, tangy flavor. They are often sold pickled, which imparts more of a sour flavor profile. They are frequently used in Mediterranean-leaning dishes such as antipasto platters, salads, sandwiches, and pizza.
You can use pepperoncini and banana peppers interchangeably, as both will impart a mild heat and tangy, acidic flavor to dishes like sandwiches and salads. However, pepperoncini can sometimes be spicier than banana peppers, so be sure to taste the peppers before swapping them into your recipe.
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📖 Recipe
Lentil Pasta Salad
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Ingredients
- 16 ounces red lentil pasta or pasta of choice
- 3 cups grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 ½ cups cooked lentils (Puy, French, green, or brown) or one (15-ounce) can, drained and rinsed
- ¾ cup sliced kalamata olives or black olives
- ¾ cup pepperoncini thinly sliced, or banana peppers (optional)
- 1 small red onion thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley
For the Lemon Tahini Dressing*:
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 2 medium lemons)
- Zest of one lemon
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup tahini
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- ⅓ to ½ cup olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta until al dente. Drained, and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
- Make the dressing: In a medium bowl or a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the lemon juice, red wine vinegar, tahini, Dijon, and maple syrup. Add up to ½ cup olive oil to taste. Whisk until fully incorporated or shake the jar with the cover in place. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Combine: In a large bowl, combine the pasta, tomatoes, lentils, olives, pepperoncini, red onion, and parsley. Add the desired amount of dressing and mix to incorporate the dressing.
Notes
- Lentils: If you are cooking your lentils, use about ¾ cups dry. Place the lentils in water to cover by about 2 inches high. Add one bay leaf (and kombu if you have some). Bring the water to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes or until al dente. Do not overcook them. Salt them once they are done cooking.
- Dressing: This recipe makes extra dressing. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to one week.
- Storage: Refrigerate any remaining Lentil Pasta Salad in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
This information is provided as a courtesy and is an ESTIMATE only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased can change the nutritional information in any given recipe.
Danielle King
This is……. AMAZING! You have the most beautiful recipes! I feel so full after eating one bowl of this pasta salad. So filling, so delish, and so nutritious.!!!
Nisha Melvani, RDN
Thank you. So glad you found it satisfying and yummy!
Amits
Hi, going to try this recipe. It looks delicious. Is the nutritional information for one person? Like total calorie 589 per serving? Or is this for whole recipe?
Thank you!
Amita
Nisha Melvani, RDN
It's for one large serving. It's a full meal with a lot of protein!
Nancy
The mint in this was so good. And the chickpeas added a good amount of protein. Thank you for the recipe.
Nisha Melvani
Chickpeas are awesome. So versatile.