Gluten Free Middle Eastern Pasta Salad Recipe

I used to eat lunch at a Middle Eastern restaurant that offered a sumptuous midday buffet filled with all sorts of tasty gluten free offerings. My favorite part of the meal was the end when I had little bits and pieces of all sorts of flavors on my plate and I would scrape them up into one delightful forkful of flavor.

That last exotic forkful was the inspiration for this pasta salad; lots of ingredients used in Middle Eastern dishes all mingled together into a refreshing salad perfect for a hot summer’s day.

This Gluten Free Middle Eastern Pasta Salad recipe is a great addition to a barbecue, as a side dish or vegan main dish if you leave out the feta; it is light yet filling at the same time.

Unlike many pasta salads that have a mayonnaise base, the dressing is a simple garlicky lemon tahini dressing that you can whip up in the blender in seconds. Crispy cucumber slices, garbanzo beans, Kalamata olives, red onions, grape tomatoes, mint leaves and, if you like, feta cheese, are tossed in with cooked pasta to round it all out (I used gluten free white rice elbows from Pastariso). I also added some roasted pistachios for crunch and texture.

This salad is easy to make, feeds a crowd and is a bit more sophisticated and exotic than your average pasta salad.

BTW if you love the acacia wood salad bowl in my photo below, hop over to my giveaway page and enter to win one of your own!

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Gluten Free Middle Eastern Pasta Salad Recipe

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time5 mins

Total Time20 mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Servings: 10 people

Calories: 357kcal

Author: Gluten Free & More

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 pound Pastariso White Rice Pasta Elbows
• ▢ ¾ cup shelled roasted, salted pistachios
• ▢ ¼ cup tahini
• ▢ 1/3 cup water
• ▢ 1 lemon juiced
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic minced or grated
• ▢ Kosher salt
• ▢ Black pepper
• ▢ 2 cucumbers
• ▢ 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans rinsed and drained
• ▢ ½ cup red onion finely chopped (from ½ a medium onion)
• ▢ ½ cup Kalamata olives pitted and chopped
• ▢ 1 pint grape tomatoes halved
• ▢ ½ cup mint leaves
• ▢ 8 ounces feta cheese crumbled – optional, leave out for dairy free or vegan

Instructions

• ▢
  Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to the package directions. Rinse with cold water and drain.
• ▢
  Place the pistachios in a dry skillet and cook over medium-high heat until fragrant, 3- 4 minutes. Let cool and coarsely chop.
• ▢
  Place the tahini, water, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a blender and process until smooth.
• ▢
  Peel the cucumber, slice in half lengthwise, scrape out the seeds with a spoon and cut into ¼ inch slices. Place the cucumber slices in a large mixing bowl, add the garbanzo beans, onion, olives, tomatoes, pasta and dressing. Toss to combine. Taste, and add more salt and pepper if needed. Add the mint leaves, pistachios and feta and gently toss to combine. Refrigerate until serving.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Gluten Free Middle Eastern Pasta Salad Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 357 Calories from Fat 144

% Daily Value*

Fat 16g25%

Saturated Fat 4g20%

Cholesterol 20mg7%

Sodium 365mg15%

Potassium 350mg10%

Carbohydrates 44g15%

Fiber 3g12%

Sugar 3g3%

Protein 9g18%

Vitamin A 655IU13%

Vitamin C 11.4mg14%

Calcium 170mg17%

Iron 2.5mg14%

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

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