15-Minute Lemon Feta-Chickpea Pasta
A lemon pasta packed with protein-filled chickpeas and a garlicky tomato feta sauce that’s ready in minutes! A nourishing, filling vegetarian meal perfect for #MeatlessMonday.
Chickpeas (AKA garbanzo beans) in pasta. A little controversial, I know. But it’ll all make sense once you give this easy peasy, 15-minute, vegetarian pasta a try!
This bright, lemony pasta with a whipped garlicky feta sauce and sweet cherry tomatoes is an especially lovely treat to enjoy al fresco on a warm night.
And even though this pasta is vegetarian, it’s filling and nourishing thanks to the addition of chickpeas, which have a beautiful, hearty bite that make this dish a great Meatless Monday contender for those used to eating meat at most meals. Chickpeas are packed with protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals.
This pasta is like a big, warm bowl of tangy and wholesome goodness. This flavorful yet simple recipe works great for weeknights since it comes together with minimal prep and cook time. Boil some pasta, mix together a quick sauce, mix it all together in a bowl and you’re done!
If you’re new to the wonderful world of whipped feta, WELCOME. It’s life-changing. People make whipped feta all kinds of ways, but I prefer to keep it a little lighter by using a blender or food processor to combine feta cheese with a little bit of water and olive oil. Sometimes I blend in herbs or garlic, and I put it on everything now — carrots, pasta, celery, crackers, bell pepper sticks, bread.
Don’t fret if you don’t have a blender or food processor. For this recipe, you can also finely chop the feta and mix it into the warm pasta with the rest of the ingredients.
This pasta recipe is fabulous as is, but there’s so much you can add here if you’ve got extra time. Maybe a handful of spinach for extra nutrients, sausage, olives, artichoke hearts or some sauteed peppers and onions. You might even top it off with parmesan, red pepper flakes, fried garlic or fresh herbs such as parsley, basil or dill.
Ingredients
- Pasta
- Cherry tomatoes
- Chickpeas (AKA garbanzo beans)
- Garlic powder
- Feta
- Olive oil
- Lemons
- Salt and pepper
Lemon Pasta Instructions
Boil water and cook pasta according to instructions on box.
Combine feta, olive oil, lemons and garlic powder in a blender or food processor. If you think the sauce is too thick, add 1 tbsp. of water at a time until the sauce is at your desired consistency. (If you don’t have a food processor, finely chop the feta and set aside the other sauce ingredients to stir in when the pasta is cooked.)
Drain the pasta and place pot on low heat. Stir in sauce, cherry tomatoes, chickpeas and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve when ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the pasta.
Enjoy!
15-Minute Lemon Pasta + Tomato, Feta, Chickpeas
Equipment
- Optional: Food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 1 lb. pasta
- 1 c. cherry tomatoes halved
- 15 oz. can chickpeas AKA garbanzo beans
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 8 oz. feta cheese
- 1/4 c. olive oil
- 2 lemons juiced
- Generous pinch of salt, pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil water and cook pasta according to instructions on box.
- Combine feta, olive oil, lemons and garlic powder in a blender or food processor. If you think the sauce is too thick, add 1 tbsp. of water at a time until the sauce is at your desired consistency.(If you don’t have a food processor, finely chop the feta and set aside the other sauce ingredients to stir in when the pasta is cooked.)
- Drain the pasta and place pot on low heat. Stir in sauce, cherry tomatoes, chickpeas and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve when ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the pasta. Enjoy!
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Honolulu girl obsessed with farmers markets, eating, seasonal ingredients, eating, writing and eating. Read more about me here and get new recipes from me every week @feedthesoulblog.
Hi, Courtney- I’m really looking forward to trying this recipe and your intro to feta sauce. It occurs to me that folks could really up the protein and lower the carbs by using some of the new legume pastas. Not all of them are good but many are and you can’t tell that they are your old Golden Grain version. I enjoy your column and your choice of interesting recipes and/or ingredients. Keep up the good work! Cheers!
Hey, Suzanne! So glad you’re excited to give it a try, and great tip. Do you have any recommendations for legume pastas? I am super curious about them and have given a couple a try, but they seem to come out too mushy for me 🙁 maybe it is user error though.
Thanks so much for reading!
Going to make this recipe today!! But a bit confused or misunderstanding about the lemons. Juice the lemons then add the lemons or juice to mixture to food processor!! It looks so yummy and I love the flavor of lemon…so fresh!!
Hey there, hope you enjoy it! Lemon juice 🙂 and enjoy your weekend, Cheryl!
Hey Courtney… Just finished a big plate of this pasta…wonderful!! Thanks for clearing up my confusion. Next time I will thin out the sauce a bit more. I did add my favorite Italian Castelvetrano Olives which was a plus!! I had tried the TikTok version and find your recipe much better!! Thanks again…Cheryl
Awww thanks so much for sharing, Cheryl! Glad to hear you liked it and LOVE the idea of the olives. Genius!! I have sooo many olives in my fridge right now and am dying to give this a try.