High Protein Chile Crunch Pasta Salad

A recipe on social media stopped my scroll recently, and I don't say that lightly because I'm not a big pasta girlie. But this one looked SO good.

When I clicked through for the recipe, I spotted a few red flags (for me, at least). It was fully vegan, loaded with dairy-free swaps, and very low in protein. Hard pass!

I'm team dairy all the way. Dairy is packed with protein, calcium, and nutrients we genuinely shouldn't be cutting unless there's a real reason to. If dairy is a no-go for you, this one probably isn't your recipe, and that's totally fine. I have plenty of dairy-free options here too.

But that pasta salad? Still looked incredible. So I adapted it. High protein, calorie-conscious, big and filling, and absolutely delicious. This one checks every box.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 8oz box banza cavatappi pasta (or whole grain-look for high protein)

• 10oz cherry tomatoes, halved

• 6oz sliced mild banana pepper rings or peperoncini peppers, chopped (reserve some liquid from jar)

• 5 oz of drained garbanzo beans from a can

• 5oz cup finely chopped red onion 

• 1 bunch of parsley, finely chopped

• 5 oz crumbled feta cheese

• 1lb (or more) Rotisserie chicken, diced with skin removed or other precooked chicken of choice

• 5oz shredded kale, chopped arugula, or other green of choice 

DRESSING:

• 1.25 cups good culture cottage cheese, blended 

• 3-4T juice from banana pepper jar 

• Salt & pepper to taste

• 2tsp honey (optional)

• 2T Trader Joe’s crunchy chile onion (or a bit more if you like it spicier)

• 1-2T water to thin out (if needed)

DIRECTIONS: 

• Cook pasta according to directions on box (use salted water), drain and cool. 

• Mix up dressing by combining all ingredients besides the chile onion crunch in a small blender. Then add chile onion crunch and stir in by hand. Taste a small amount and adjust seasoning as needed. 

ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS:

• I chose to keep all of the ingredients prepped in the fridge and assembled each serving before eating to keep it fresh but if you are preparing for a crowd:

  • Mix pasta, tomatoes, banana peppers, onions, and feta to combine. Gently add in the garbanzo beans, shredded greens, parsley (amount to taste) and chicken.

  • Once everything is mixed, pour dressing over the salad and gently mix. Be careful not to overmix as the lentil pastas are a bit more fragile and will fall apart. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Serve immediately.

• If preparing one serving at a time:  

  • Place about 95g cooked pasta in a bowl

  • Add 2oz tomato, 1oz of banana pepper, feta, garbanzo beans, and onion.

  • Add 3oz (or more if you need more protein!) of cooked chicken, your shredded greens, and a healthy sprinkle of parsley

  • Add ⅕ of dressing (approx 65g serving) and stir to combine!

  • Enjoy! 

Nutrition: Makes 5 (BIG) servings: 503kcal: 45P/49C (8g fiber!)/16F