Healthy & Protein Packed Italian Pasta Salad

4.5 from 4 votes

Healthy & Protein Packed Italian Pasta Salad

This cold pasta salad recipe is a macro-friendly twist on the classic italian pasta salad, only with better ingredients, less calories and more protein

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Total Time20 mins

Course: Appetizer, Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Meal Prep, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: easy, healthy, high protein, macrofriendly, pasta salad, pasta salad recipe, protein packed, red lentil pasta, simple

Servings:

Calories: 316kcal

Ingredients

Pasta Salad

1 box red lentil pasta I used Barilla brand, but I also like Trader Joe's pasta
1/2 white or red onion, chopped
30 grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cucumber, cut in fourths
1 can black olives, drained and rinsed
1 oz roasted red peppers or red sweet pepper strips, drained and chopped
1 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
4 cloves garlic

Dressing

1 envelope good seasonings
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water

Instructions

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil
Add in the box of pasta, cook for 7-9 minutes, or according to box instructions
While the pasta is cooking, cut up all of your vegetables and garlic, placing them into a large mixing bowl
Drain pasta and place back into the pot, set aside to cool
Once pasta is cooled, add into the large mixing bowl with the vegtables, mixing well
In a salad dressing shaker or mason jar, combine dressing ingredients and shake well. Alternatively, you could use a standard italian salad dressing.
Pour desired amount of dressing onto pasta salad, mixing until fully combined

Notes

You can use a light Italian dressing or red wine vinegar and oil instead of the listed dressing if you prefer. You may want to add more dressing before you eat, especially if you are meal prepping this for a few days.

The salad lasts for about a week in the fridge.

The portion sizes for this recipe and nutrition facts are larger and should be considered a meal. If you are using it more as a side, the calories will be less. This recipe portion gives you 1/4 of a box of pasta + all the veggies, so it’s a hefty helping.

Nutrition Facts

Healthy & Protein Packed Italian Pasta Salad

Amount Per Serving

Calories 316 Calories from Fat 81

% Daily Value*

Fat 9g14%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Sodium 602mg26%
Potassium 981mg28%
Carbohydrates 55g18%
Fiber 9g38%
Sugar 11g12%
Protein 16g32%

Vitamin A 1126IU23%
Vitamin C 24mg29%
Calcium 29mg3%
Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition