Looking for more easy, healthy lunch ideas? You must try my Mediterranean Chicken Pasta Salad. Not only is it light and refreshing, but it’s also gluten free, dairy free, and high in protein.

It’s the perfect healthy recipe to work into your healthy meal prep routine because it can be batch prepped and stored in the fridge for days or in the freezer for months (more on storage instructions below).

It’s super delicious and full of fresh, nutrient dense ingredients. The whole family will love this recipe!

Why This Mediterranean Pasta Salad Is So Healthy

The Noodles: I opted to use chickpeas noodles to keep this pasta salad recipe gluten free and chickpea noodles are also high in protein. You can also use cassava flour noodles, brown rice noodles, or even regular pasta noodles.
Fresh ingredients: It’s so easy to sneak in fresh vegetables with your pasta salad, and it’s an easy way to increase your fiber intake. I added cherry tomatoes, cucumber, olives, artichokes, onion, arugula, etc. But, feel free to substitute any of these vegetables with any of your favorites.
High Protein: Traditional Mediterranean Chicken Pasta Salad recipes don’t contain chicken. However, to turn this dish into a high protein meal, I added shredded chicken to the mix.
Homemade Dressing: Instead of using store-bought dressing, I whipped up a fresh vinaigrette. High quality extra virgin olive oil has so many health benefits and a great way to sneak in extra healthy, brain-boosting fats.

Ingredients to Make Mediterranean Chicken Pasta Salad

It’s all about fresh ingredients when it comes to this pasta salad recipe. This recipe is flexible, but here’s what I like to add…

Chickpea Pasta – I like using either rotini noodles or fusilli noodles for this pasta salad recipe.
Fresh Ingredients – Add lots of fresh ingredients, including cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, arugula, etc.
Olives – To keep it Mediterranean style, of course, you must add olives. I added a mix of kalamata & green olives
Feta Cheese – I used crumbled goat cheese because I find it much easier to digest, but feel free to use traditional feta cheese or a dairy free cheese.
Shredded Chicken – To increase my protein intake and turn this pasta salad into a full meal, I added chicken.

How to Make Mediterranean Chicken Pasta Salad

This Mediterranean Chicken Pasta Salad is super easy to make, which is another reason why it makes for the perfect healthy lunch meal prep.

Boil Noodles: cook noodles according to package instructions. Rinse with cold water and let cool.
Cook Chicken: bake or pressure cook the chicken breasts and then shred it.
Chop Everything Up: while the noodles & chicken are cooking, take this time to chop everything up.

Make Dressing: combine all dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine.
Assemble the Pasta Salad: Add all ingredients to a large bowl, pour dressing over top, and mix until everything is combined. Let marinate for at least one hour before serving.

How to Store & Batch Prep Mediterranean Chicken Pasta Salad

This Mediterranean Chicken Pasta Salad is the perfect recipe to work into your healthy meal prep routine. It’s especially good for lunch because it can be eaten cold, warm, or at room temperature. Here’s how to prep it…

Weekly Fridge Prep: will last in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezer Batch Prep: will last in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Storage: If you’re using this recipe for your weekly/monthly meal prep, then I would suggest storing each serving in individual containers so you can defrost them one at a time and grab-and-go whenever you’re ready to serve it or pack it for lunch.

Mediterranean Chicken Pasta Salad Recipe Video