Crunchy Chickpea Pasta Potato Salad (Vegan)

Has anyone had the tangy broccoli, pasta and shredded cheese salad with the bacon bits on a salad bar before! Well, this is real close to the real deal for the plant peeps in my opinion.

I was blown away at how good this tastes. Kind of like getting the joy of that broccoli salad and potato salad all in ONE!

I posted it on social media and have had many requests for the recipe. So here you go!

CRUNCHY CHICKPEA PASTA POTATO SALAD

(This recipe makes a lot! I cut it in half and it fits perfectly in a nice size mixing bowl. Will last 3 to 4 days in the fridge for eats during the week.)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Box of Chickpea pasta (I like the rotini style)

• 2 heads Frisee or Arugula, chopped (Frisee is hard to find in the Midwest. I have also used a bag of chopped spinach, it is just not as peppery)

• 1 head Broccoli, stem removed and chopped into small florets

• 1 head Cauliflower, stem removed and chopped into small florets

• 1 Yellow or White Onion, sliced and quartered

• 2 cloves Garlic, minced

• 2 tbsp Mustard Seed (Have left these out when not in supply)

• ½ cup filtered Water or Vegetable Broth, for sautéing

• 5 lbs. Yellow Potatoes, cut into 1” cubes

• 1 tsp each: Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, and Sea Salt

• ½ tsp Mustard Powder

• ¼ cup Dijon Mustard, mixed with ¼ cup filtered Water

OPTIONAL DRESSING (Mix these two ingredients listed below together. Not really optional in my opinion. Makes it taste great. If you have an aversion to one or the other, just use one of them.)

• 3 Lemons, juiced

• 6 tbsp liquid Raw Honey

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook the chickpea pasta as it says on the box, drain and set aside to cool.

2. Place potatoes in a steamer pot and steam over high heat for 20 – 25 minutes or until soft when pierced with a fork. Remove from heat, drain and discard water. Transfer potatoes to a large bowl.

3. While potatoes steam, in a medium sauté pan, heat ½ cup water or vegetable broth over medium – low heat and sauté onions, garlic, and mustard seed, stirring often, for 10 – 15 minutes until soft and translucent. You may need to add an additional small amount of water or vegetable broth, 1 tbsp at a time, to prevent burning and sticking. Add onions to large bowl with steamed potatoes.

4. Season potatoes and sautéed onions with garlic and onion powder, sea salt, mustard powder and Dijon mustard – water mixture. Toss to combine well.

5. In a separate large bowl, combine greens, broccoli, cauliflower and chickpea pasta.

6. When potatoes are cool enough to add, transfer them to large bowl containing greens, florets and pasta. Toss to combine everything well.

7. Serve as is or serve and drizzle each serving with juice of ½ lemon and 1 tbsp liquid raw honey.