Trying to make changes in one’s diet can be quite difficult because some equate healthy food to bland food. After all, on their own, vegetables may not seem the most flavorful. But you can make a pretty easy start by choosing ingredients that are already quite tasty on their own, but are also packed with nutrients! And as you may have predicted from the title of this recipe, I am talking about chickpeas. There’s a lot you can do with this yummy legume, but a simple meal that I like to create is Chickpea Salad.
Chickpea Salad Recipe
Filled with protein and a refreshing, slightly tangy flavor, Chickpea Salad is a great way to make sure you have something both delicious and nourishing for lunch. It has so many great components other than our healthy chickpeas. It’s got red onions and olive oil, which are both filled with antioxidants.
And since this is a salad, this will take less than 15 minutes to make as unbelievable as that may sound. We will mainly just be tossing our vibrant ingredients together to create a satisfyingly light and tasty Chickpea Salad.
Ingredients in Chickpea Salad
- Chickpeas – Adds a pleasant taste of nuttiness to your salad while providing plenty of nutrients. This includes fiber, iron, manganese, and zinc!
- Red onion – This is one perfectly crispy component that you will want in your salad! Not only is its texture ideal for the meal, but it’s also got a sharpness to it that’s just right for our salad.
- Garlic – To improve the flavor of the dish and give it a punch as well as some savor!
- Scallions – You can get the slightest kick from scallions, which is why you probably often see it in salads and seafood dishes. Its taste is light enough not to distract from the flavors of other ingredients, but it also brings a refreshing flavor to a dish.
- Parsley – For some added flavor and nutrition! This is actually a fantastic source of iron and vitamin C.
- Black olives – I love the one of a kind flavor of olives with their satisfying mix of sweetness and saltiness. This is a popular choice for salads not just because it is quite nourishing, but it also has a great flavor you won’t find in many other ingredients.
- Lemon – For that jolt of zestiness!
- Sun dried tomato strips – You can also expect a bit of sweetness from sun dried tomato strips. This also possesses a pleasant texture because of its chewiness.
- Olive oil – To enhance the flavor of the rest of our components.
- Salt and ground black pepper – For the right amount of savory flavor!
How to Make It
- Wash the chickpeas with running water. Let the water drip and then place in a mixing bowl.
- Add the onion, scallions, sun dried tomato, and parsley. Fold to mix all the ingredients.
- Add the lemon, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Continue to mix until all the ingredients are well blended.
- Place inside the fridge. Chill for at least 1 hour.
- Serve cold. enjoy!
What to Serve with Your Chickpea Salad
Luckily, your Chickpea Salad is already a meal on its own that can serve yourself and one other friend. But since you’re already eating with someone else, why not try to create more dishes alongside the salad? One thing that almost always goes well with salads is bread! And so you’ll want to give my Toasted Basil and Tomato Bruschetta a try. Let me tell you– this has the most satisfying crunch to it, as well as a light saltiness that would just be perfect with the sourness and sweetness of the Chickpea Salad. And like our main recipe, this one is incredibly easy to make. Just set aside 10 minutes of your time for it!
However, if you’re looking for the full package, you might want to add some more protein or a viand in this case. Fish is a great go-to when it comes to food you would enjoy with salad. Make it another simple and healthy one by going for Baked Parmesan Garlic Crusted Tilapia. This also has the subtle and satisfying taste of olive oil, but with the sophisticated flavors of parmesan cheese and fine sea salt.
But should you be craving a bit of heat with your Chickpea Salad, you should definitely make some Spicy Calamari. In general, seafood tends to go well with salad. But this is especially great with our main recipe because it provides an added crispiness as well as a great savor from the squid. I just make sure that I fry the calamari right to get it perfect. Click on the article to learn how you can make it too! And as for our Chickpea Salad, leave any questions you may have about the recipe in the comments below.
Chickpea Salad
Ingredients
- 15 ounces chickpeas
- 1 red onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 stalks scallions chopped
- 1/4 cup parsley chopped
- 1/2 cup black olives sliced
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 1/4 cup sun dried tomato sliced into strips
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash the chickpeas with running water. Let the water drip and then place in a mixing bowl.15 ounces chickpeas
- Add the onion, scallions, sun dried tomato, and parsley. Fold to mix all the ingredients.1 red onion, 4 stalks scallions, 1/4 cup sun dried tomato, 1/4 cup parsley
- Add the lemon, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Continue to mix until all the ingredients are well blended.1/2 lemon, 3 tablespoons olive oil, salt and ground black pepper to taste
- Place inside the fridge. Chill for at least 1 hour.
- Serve cold. enjoy!
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Notes
- Spice level – Don’t expect much of a kick with this! Our Chickpea Salad isn’t a spicy one, but you may get a hint of that kind of flavor from onions and scallions.
- Sweetness level – This can be quite sweet, thanks to the sun dried tomato strips. But you can always lessen the amount you put if you are not a fan of that flavor.
- Chickpeas – Of course, this really would not be Chickpea Salad without that main ingredient! However, you can still create a healthy salad with other components, and so you can turn to the likes of quinoa and even cashews and cauliflower for substitutes.
- Scallions – Want an alternative for scallions? We’ve got options such as shallots and chives.
- Sun dried tomato strips – You can go for actual tomatoes to take the place of these tomato strips, but they will not be as sweet nor chewy. I’d also suggest roasted bell peppers for a similar texture.
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