High Protein Pasta Salad

This high-protein pasta salad is one of those easy, crowd-pleasing recipes that works for everything from weekday lunches to holiday get-togethers. It’s filling, flavorful, and comes together fast with simple ingredients. You’ll find yourself making it year round!

I love a good pasta salad. This one is simple, flavorful, and has enough protein to make it a satisfying option for lunch, dinner, or your next holiday gathering. It’s one of those recipes that works for just about anything—meal prep, potlucks, or a quick weeknight meal when you don’t feel like cooking.

I used a high-protein chickpea pasta for this version, but you can use any pasta you like. If you’re keeping things lower carb, it also works well with Kaizen noodles, miracle noodles, or even hearts of palm noodles. Just use what fits your goals or what you already have in the pantry.

For protein, I went with a combo of salami and pepperoni—easy, flavorful, and no cooking required. But feel free to change it up based on what you like or what you have on hand. This salad is super flexible. Sometimes I’ll toss in roasted veggies, olives, or chopped spinach if I’ve got some that needs to be used up.

If you’re making this for a get-together, I recommend prepping it a few hours ahead of time or the night before and letting it chill in the fridge. It gives the flavors time to come together and makes it even better. And if you’re serving it outdoors or at a holiday buffet, it holds up well without getting soggy or losing its texture.

This pasta salad has quickly become one of my go-to recipes. Whether you’re making it for yourself or feeding a crowd, it’s one of those dishes that checks all the boxes: quick, budget-friendly, and full of flavor. I hope it makes its way into your regular rotation too. And if you give it a try, I’d love to hear what you think or how you make it your own!

High Protein Pasta Salad

This high-protein pasta salad is one of those easy, crowd-pleasing recipes that works for everything from weekday lunches to holiday get-togethers. It’s filling, flavorful, and comes together fast with simple ingredients.

Print Pin Rate

Course: Salad

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Calories:

Author: Natasha Newton

Ingredients

• 16 ounces High Protein Pasta I used Banza Chickpea Pasta
• 1 medium cucumber diced
• 1/2 medium red onion diced
• 4 ounce can sliced black olives
• 1 cup banana paper rings drained
• 12 ounces mozzarella shredded or chunks
• 8 ounces pepperoni chopped
• 8 ounces salami chopped
• 16 ounce bottle Italian Dressing

Italian Dressing (can use a 16 ounce bottle Italian dressing instead)

• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 12 cloves garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon granular sweetener
• 1 teaspoon ground dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place the pasta in the boiling water. Boil for 8 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Pour the pasta into a colander to thoroughly drain. Use paper towels to pat off any excess water.
• Transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl. Put the rest of the salad ingredients on top.
• To make the dressing, put all of the dressing ingredients in a small mixing bowl and whisk until well combined.
• Drizzle the dressing over the salad. Gently toss until all of the salad ingredients are coated with the dressing. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Toss the salad again before serving.

Tried this recipe?Mention @ketoislife or tag #natashassouthernflavor!

Disclaimer: Nutritional information is included as a courtesy and is calculated to the best of my ability, using my preferred brands. I recommend calculation your own macros, as they can widely vary depending on the brands of ingredients you use.