This creamy Red Lentil Pasta Salad is an easy high protein main or side dish with fresh veggies and a creamy lemon tahini dressing. This is great for a summer picnic or as a simple weeknight dinner!

What you’ll love about this recipe:

EASY – You can make this dish in just about 20 minutes! It’s also great for meal prep
HEALTHY – This dish is high in plant-based protein thanks fo the red lentils and chickpeas! One serving has 19 g protein.
FLAVORFUL – A creamy lemon tahini dressing is the best part!
VEGAN, DAIRY-FREE, & GLUTEN-FREE

If you’re looking for a filling and satisfying pasta dish, you will love this cold lentil pasta salad! Lentil noodles have 2-3x the protein as regular pasta. This is great to make for a main dish for a dinner as well as a good pasta salad for summer picnics.

Find more amazing summer BBQ and picnic recipes including salads, entrees, desserts, and more!

What You Need

Red lentil penne: This is the most common pasta shape for red lentil. You can find this at most grocery stores. The most common brand I’ve seen in Barilla red lentil penne.
Chickpeas: Just one can of drained and rinsed chickpeas is all you need!
Cherry tomatoes: Freshly washed and halved juicy cherry tomatoes taste amazing in this dish!
Red onion: Just a small amount of diced red onion adds a little kick to this pasta salad!

Lemon Tahini Sauce:

Tahini: I recommend a high quality tahini (To know if its high quality check the ingredients – it should only be sesame seeds! High-quality tahini will also have minimal oil separation, and should have a rich, nutty taste with a hint of bitterness. Low-quality tahini might taste bland, rancid, or overly bitter.
Plain unsweetened vegan yogurt: This will give the sauce some creaminess and balances the fat of the tahini.
Dijon mustard: Dijon helps to deepen the flavor of the sauce
Lemon: You will need one large fresh lemon
Red wine vinegar: Just a splash of red wine vinegar helps to balance the flavors of the tahini.
Garlic clove– crushed: Fresh is best!
Pinch of salt and black pepper to taste
Nutritional yeast, optional but adds great flavor!
Cold water
Fresh dill: Dill is one of my favorite fresh herbs and adds so much flavor to this pasta sauce!

Be sure to check out the full recipe for exact measurements

Substitutions for this Recipe

Red lentil penne – If you don’t want to use red lentil pasta you could also use whole wheat pasta, regular pasta, or another variation of gluten-free pasta (such as chickpea pasta)
Red wine vinegar – Use white wine vinegar to apple cider vinegar

Add in some extras:

Feel free to add in more veggies such as artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, cucumbers, red bell pepper, and more!
Top with a little feta cheese. (I love the one from Follow Your Heart or Violife).

How to Make Lentil Pasta Salad

Step 1: Start by cooking your pasta to package instructions. Meanwhile, sauté your zucchini in a large pan over medium cook for 6-7 minutes until lightly browned (feel free to use a small amount of oil and salt if desired). The zucchini should still have a slightly firm texture and not mushy (it will hold up better in the pasta salad).

Step 2: In a small blender or food processor, add your lemon tahini sauce ingredients and blend until smooth.

Step 3: In a large bowl combine cooked pasta with chickpeas, diced red onion, cooked zucchini, and halved cherry tomatoes. Pour lemon tahini sauce on top and gently stir to combine.

Step 4: Add salt and pepper to desired taste. Refrigerate red lentil penne pasta salad for 1-2 hours until chilled. Enjoy!

How to Store Leftovers

Store leftover red lentil pasta salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you pasta seems like it’s drying out the next day add a little extra tahini and lemon juice.

I don’t recommend freezing this pasta salad.

What does red lentil pasta taste like?

Red lentil pasta has a mild, slightly nutty flavor. It is often described as having a taste similar to regular pasta but with a subtle earthiness. It is slightly chewier than regular pasta.

Is red lentil pasta salad gluten-free?

Yes, because red lentil pasta is made with lentils and no wheat, it is gluten-free friendly! Make sure to check it is specifically labeled as gluten-free, as some brands may process their products in facilities that also handle gluten-containing ingredients.

What to Serve with this Pasta Salad

A delicious wrap like my Buffalo tofu wrap or thai peanut tofu wrap!
A hearty sandwich like my smoky tempeh sandwich.
I love a veggie burger and pasta salad pairing. Try out my amazing homemade black bean burger!

Pro Tips ✔️

Use a high quality tahini for your dressing. It shouldn’t be clumpy or grainy. High quality is smooth and creamy and shouldn’t require excessive mixing.
Cook the pasta al dente. Red lentil pasta can become mushy if overcooked. Follow the package instructions and cook the pasta until it is just tender, while still retaining a slight bite. This helps maintain the texture and prevents it from becoming too soft in the salad.
Consider texture and crunch. To add texture and crunch to the salad, consider incorporating ingredients like toasted pine nuts, slivered almonds, or sunflower seeds. These elements provide a nice contrast to the softness of the pasta and vegetables.

Try out these other great pasta dishes

One of my fave noodles dishes of all time is Creamy Miso Peanut Noodles with a savory creamy peanut sauce that coats chewy udon noodles! You can also make this incredible High-Protein Pasta Sauce recipe with 23g of protein per serving!

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This red lentil pasta salad is light yet filling just the way I like it. And that creamy lemon tahini dressing is what keeps me coming back for more. So yummy! I serve it with your tempeh sandwich and it was so good. Definitely my new favorite!

Red Lentil Pasta Salad