Chickpea and fennel pasta salad

This Mediterranean-influenced pasta salad gets its crunch and slight sweetness from raw diced fennel while feta cheese gives it a flavorful punch. Both ingredients marry well with herbaceous, lemon-Dijon homemade dressing. Don’t discard the fennel’s fronds so you can use them to garnish the finished dish. Because this recipe makes such a large yield try it with garlic-grilled chicken skewers at your next outdoor gathering. Or since it’s also delicious chilled, plan to reserve the leftovers for a quick lunch or super later in the week. We’ve used orzo but you could use any other short shaped pasta like small sea-shell or macaroni if you have either of them already stored in your pantry.