Healthy High-Protein Pasta Salad with Peas is a vibrant, nutrient-packed dish with a flavorful green sauce. Get your daily dose of greens in this refreshing salad, which combines fresh cruciferous veggies and longevity ingredients for a delicious and wholesome meal. Perfect for a satisfying and health-conscious bite! (Soy-free and nut-free, with a gluten-free option.)
Did you know that whole-grain pasta impacts blood sugar in a way that is similar to unprocessed whole grains? The process of making pasta uses heavy machinery that changes the structure of the starch, which makes it slower for your body to digest.
This makes whole wheat pasta act more like whole grains, such as wheat berries, even though it is processed. The good thing is that it keeps most of the important nutrients, and the fiber, found in whole grains because it's made from whole wheat flour, which includes the bran, germ, and endosperm.
This High-Protein Pasta Salad with Peas recipe transforms several nutritious foods into one delicious meal! Meal prep this for the week to stay on track with your nutrient goals.
This recipe was inspired by my protein-packed Lentil Pasta Salad, as well as this Cowboy Rice Salad recipe. This High-Protein Pasta Sauce is another quick and easy weeknight dinner.
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👩🏼🌾 Ingredients
- Durum wheat pasta is considered a low-glycemic index (GI) food.
- Red cabbage has about eight times more antioxidants than green. Red cabbage's purple color comes from anthocyanins, a type of flavonoid that acts as an antioxidant. This study showed that red cabbage has a life-prolonging effect.
- Green peas: high in fiber and protein, and an excellent source of spermidine, which boosts autophagy, cleaning out our cells and slowing down aging
- High-Protein Green Pea Hummus Sauce: Made with high-protein, high-fiber, and longevity ingredients.
- Gluten-free - use lentil or bean pasta instead
See the recipe card for quantities.
🌾 Substitutions
- Whole wheat pasta - substitute with legume pasta for more protein and gluten-free
- Tahini - use extra-virgin olive oil instead of tahini as needed
- Chickpeas - use Roasted Lentils or white beans instead
- Green Peas - see the FAQs below for how to omit all the green peas
- Nut-Free Pesto - swap out the green pea hummus for my Pesto Without Nuts to change things up
For more healthy dips and spreads, visit my Vegan Condiment Recipes page.
📖 How to Make High-Protein Pasta Salad with Peas
For the full recipe with quantities, scroll down to the bottom of the post. This is an overview.
- Cook the pasta according to the directions on the packet until al dente. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Set aside.
- Simmer the lentils for about 12 minutes, or until just cooked. Drain using a fine mesh sieve.
- Chop the cabbage and carrots in a food processor. Pulse them into small rice-like pieces. Transfer to the bowl with the pasta.
- Make the green pea hummus sauce in the same food processor. Pulse the cooked lentils, green peas, basil, mint, tahini, garlic, Calabrian chili peppers, and capers until smooth. Add salt to taste.
- Add the green pea hummus to the pasta salad until the desired taste. Add more tahini mixed in water (1 tablespoon water for every one-third cup of tahini) to the salad. Mix to combine.
- Store the sauce separate from the pasta. Mix for serving.
✔️ Expert Tips
- For a creamier pasta salad, add tahini mixed in warm water or a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
- Serve warm or chilled.
- Add optional longevity spices for serving: ½ teaspoon ground long pepper, ½ teaspoon ground black cumin seeds per serving
- Storage: Refrigerate the Green Pea Hummus sauce in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Store the pasta salad in a separate container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
🙋🏽♀️ Recipe FAQs
Yes! Use edamame or black beans instead in the salad. For the sauce, swap the green pea hummus sauce for Avocado Dressing, Everything Cashew Sauce, Lemon Herb Tahini, or Chipotle Sauce.
Overall, pasta is confirmed to be a medium–low-GI food. The process of making pasta uses heavy machinery that changes the structure of the starch, which makes it slower for your body to digest.
Pasta can be safe for people with diabetes, especially when it's whole grain or made from alternative flour like chickpea or lentil flour. These options have a lower glycemic index, meaning they cause a slower, more gradual rise in blood sugar compared to regular white pasta. Portion control and pairing pasta with fiber-rich vegetables and protein can also help manage blood sugar levels.
🍽️ Related Recipes
🫙 More Dressing Options
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I would love it if you would ⭐️ rate this recipe and leave a comment. Thank you in advance.
📖 Recipe
High Protein Pasta Salad with Peas
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Ingredients
- 12 ounces whole wheat pasta or lentil or bean pasta
- ½ medium red cabbage
- 2 medium-large carrots
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas drained and rinsed (or 1 ½ cups cooked)
- 1 ½ cups frozen green peas thawed in a sieve under running warm water, drained
- ⅓ cup barberries or unsweetened dried cranberries (optional)
- ¼ cup capers preferably reduced sodium, rinsed (optional)
For the pea hummus sauce:
- ⅔ cup split red lentils rinsed
- 2 cups frozen green peas thawed in a sieve under running warm water
- 1 packed cup fresh basil leaves
- ½ packed cup fresh mint leaves
- ¼ cup tahini (or 3 tablespoons tahini plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil)
- 2 small cloves garlic
- 3 small Calabrian chilli peppers optional
- 2 teaspoons capers (preferably reduced sodium, rinsed) optional
- 1 medium lemon juice
- Salt or salt substitute to taste
Instructions
- Cook the lentils: Add the rinsed lentils to a medium saucepan with water to cover by about 2 inches high. Bring the water to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the lentils for about 12 minutes, or until just cooked. Drain using a fine mesh sieve.
- Cook the pasta according to the directions on the packet until al dente. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Set aside.
- Chop the cabbage and carrots into large equal-sized chunks. Place the pieces into a food processor and pulse them into small rice-like pieces. Transfer to the bowl with the pasta.
- Mix the salad: Add the chickpeas, green peas, barberries, and capers, if using, to the pasta.
- Make the green sauce. Transfer the cooked lentils to the canister of the food processor used to chop the carrots and cabbage. Add the green peas, basil, mint, tahini, garlic, Calabrian chili peppers, capers, and lemon juice. Pulse until smooth. Add salt to taste.
- Mix for serving: Add the green pea hummus to the pasta salad until the desired taste. Add more tahini mixed in water (1 tablespoon water for every one-third cup of tahini) to the salad. Mix to combine.
- Store the sauce separate from the pasta. Mix for serving.
Notes
- For gluten-free: use lentil or bean pasta
- Add tahini dissolved in water to the pasta salad for more creaminess: use 1 tablespoon water for each ⅓ cup tahini. Or add extra-virgin olive oil.
- Add optional longevity spices for serving: ½ teaspoon ground long pepper, ½ teaspoon ground black cumin seeds per serving
- Serve warm or chilled.
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.
Sarah says
Wow, this is such a delicious and colorful dish! I love the subtle sweetness of the peas, the freshness of the mint, and the tang of the barberries. I made a big batch of this recipe for meal prep. I added the optional longevity spices plus a teaspoon of miso and a pinch of kala namak instead of regular salt. This is sure to become a staple recipe in my summertime meal prep repertoire!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Yours sounds delicious. Thank you for sharing.