Chickpea Greek Salad

Chickpea Greek salad is a fresh, healthy, vibrant, and colorful salad, packed with traditional Mediterranean ingredients. The classic components of Greek salad — tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, olives, and feta, are elevated with the addition of chickpeas. All tossed in a light lemon Greek salad dressing, this chopped salad tastes delicious and you can feel great about eating it. Being healthy doesn’t mean sacrificing deliciousness. It means adding foods that contain essential nutrients. And this chickpea Greek salad proves that!

Why You’ll Love this Chickpea Greek Salad

• Chickpeas are packed with plant-based protein—and more! Low in calories and high in nutrients like iron, phosphorus, and copper, chickpeas bring this chickpea Greek salad to the next level. Chickpeas can help you lower your blood sugar, manage your weight, and control your appetite.
• Kalamata olives are another superfood. Full of healthy fats that you need to absorb essential vitamins, Kalamata olives add a pungent kick of flavor to this chickpea Greek salad—plus vitamins A, B, C, E, K, and calcium.
• Garden veggies are delicious and healthy, too! While they may not be the stars of the show, the tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, and greens bring more flavor and health benefits to the table. With the fiber and variety you need in your diet, this chickpea Greek salad is what you need in your life.
• Serve it whenever you want. Chickpea Greek salad makes a great side salad at a dinner party, or it is filling enough to be the star of the show. Serve it as a main course on its own or with some added protein.

Ingredients

To make this quick and easy chickpea Greek salad, you will need the following ingredients:

• mixed greens - I used romaine lettuce, but you are free to use any greens that you like. Try romaine, spinach, arugula, or an assorted pack of mixed greens.
• chickpeas - I used a can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans) for convenience. You can also make chickpeas from scratch using dried beans, but the process will be much longer.
• grape tomatoes - You can substitute with cherry tomatoes, or with regular tomatoes cut into 1-inch pieces.
• Persian cucumbers - These are smaller cucumbers and are the perfect size when sliced. You can substitute with ½ of a larger English cucumber, just cut it into 1-inch pieces.
• red onion
• kalamata olives
• feta cheese - you can make this salad vegan and dairy-free but just leaving out the cheese, if you prefer.
• Greek salad dressing - The lemon dressing is essentially the same Greek salad dressing as in a typical Greek salad. It is made with olive oil, lemon juice, dried oregano (or Italian seasoning), salt, and pepper.

This chickpea salad is a complete and wholesome dish on it's own, packed with plant-based protein from the chickpeas. You can also add in some extra protein if you would like. Try shredded chicken, grilled shrimp, salmon, hard-boiled eggs, or tuna.

How to Make the Best Chickpea Greek Salad

1. Combine salad ingredients. In a large serving bowl, combine the salad ingredients including mixed greens, chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, cucumber, olives and feta cheese. 
2. Make salad dressing. In a small mixing bowl, make the Greek salad dressing by whisking together olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, salt and pepper.
3. Toss to combine. Pour dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Add more salt and black pepper to taste.

More Salad Recipes

• Mediterranean Chickpea Wedge Salad
• The Best Greek Salad
• Persian Shirazi Salad with Cucumber and Tomatoes
• Mediterranean Orzo Pasta Salad
• Spring Pesto Pasta Salad with Asparagus
• Chopped Asparagus Salad
• Lemon Kale Salad

Recipe

Chickpea Greek Salad

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5 from 3 reviews

• Author: Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

Chickpea Greek salad is a fresh, healthy, vibrant, and colorful salad, packed with traditional Mediterranean ingredients, superfoods, and nutrients.

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Ingredients

• 3 cups mixed greens
• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 2 Persian cucumbers, halved and sliced
• ½ cup red onion, diced
• ½ cup kalamata olives, pitted
• ⅓ cup feta cheese, crumbled

For the Dressing:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• juice from ½ lemon
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper (or to taste)

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Instructions

1. In a large serving bowl, combine the salad ingredients including mixed greens, chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, cucumber, olives and feta cheese. 
2. In a small mixing bowl, make the dressing by whisking together olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, salt and pepper.
3. Pour Greek salad dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Add more salt and black pepper to taste.

Notes

Make ahead instructions to avoid a soggy salad: To make ahead, store the salad and dressing separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to one week. Add the dressing just before eating. This will prevent the salad from getting soggy. In addition to waiting to dress the salad, you can store paper towels in the container that your greens and veggies are in. This will absorb excess moisture and keep your salad looking alive and fresh.

How to store: If you anticipate leftovers, do not add all the dressing to the salad, rather serve the dressing on the side and add it to your own plate. You can store the salad with the dressing but depending on which greens you use in the salad, it may cause them to go limp when stored. If storing salad that has been mixed with the dressing, you can store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1-2 days. If storing separately, it will last up to 1 week.

How to make it vegan: This chickpea Greek salad is easy to make vegan and dairy-free. Just leave out the feta cheese.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Category: Salad
• Method: Tossed
• Cuisine: Greek

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