Tangy Chickpea Pasta Salad Recipe

The beautiful thing about pasta salad? You can tweak and customize it to your hearts content. In fact, you really dont need a recipe at all, which is exactly why were all for picking your favorite pastalike penne, bowtie, fusilli, or even macaroniand turning it into a veggie-packed pasta side dish to serve at every cookout, potluck, or casual supper. Cold pasta salad is something southerners like to bring to any big-batch event, rain or shine, especially classic renditions like creamy ham-studded macaroni salad and crunchy broccoli-and-grape pasta salad. In this not-your-mamas recipe, weve paired a lemony dijon-honey vinaigrette with orzo pasta, chickpeas, feta cheese, roasted eggplant, and chopped peppadew peppers for a pasta salad with major mediterranean flair. All of the flavors come together for a zingy side dish with just enough crunch, creaminess, and richness (from tender roasted eggplant) to send your usual pasta salad recipe to the bench, at least for the week.