Chickpea Macaroni Salad

Snagged the base for this recipe from Allrecipes. Now one of my family's FAVORITE pasta salads. And it's healthy to boot!!

• Ready In: 15 mins
• Serves: 6
• Yields: 6

Ingredients

• 1  cup macaroni
• 1 (15 1/2ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (garbanzo beans)
• 6  tomatoes, chopped
• 1⁄2 onion, chopped
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 6  ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• 1  cup kalamata olive, halved
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1⁄3 cup olive oil
• 1⁄4 cup fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Bring a medium saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add macaroni, and cook 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente. Rinse under cold water to chill, and drain.
2. Meanwhile, combine the chickpeas, tomatoes, onion, garlic, feta cheese, olives, salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Set aside to marinate while the pasta is cooking.
3. Mix macaroni with chickpea mixture. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to blend flavors.