Chickpea Salad

This easy Chickpea Salad is quick to make and delicious to eat. It's like a Greek salad but with chickpeas so it'll keep you fuller, longer. Perfect for meal prep!

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Mediterranean

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings servings (1 cup each)

Calories 188kcal

Author Meggan Hill

Ingredients

For the red wine vinaigrette:

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the salad:

1 cucumber peeled, quartered lengthwise and diced (2 cups, see note 1)
1/2 red onion thinly sliced (1 cup or 4 ounces, see note 2)
1 (15.5 ounce) can chickpeas drained and rinsed (see note 3)
1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes halved (10 ounces, see note 4)
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives halved (see note 5)
1/2 cup fresh parsley mined (see note 6)
4 ounces feta cheese cubed or crumbled

Instructions

To make the dressing, in a large bowl whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste (I like 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper).
Add the sliced cucumbers and red onion and marinate at least 5 minutes or up to 30 minutes.
To the bowl with the dressing, add chickpeas, tomatoes, Kalamata olives, and parsley. Toss to combine and sprinkle with feta cheese.

Notes

Cucumbers: If you use thin-skinned cucumbers, peeling is optional.
Red onions: Substitute sweet onions if desired. 1 cup of onions may sound like a lot, but you temper the harsh raw flavor after a few minutes of marinade time in the vinaigrette.
Chickpeas: To substitute dried chickpeas, add 4 ounces dried chickpeas to a large pot and cover with 2 inches water. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until tender, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Drain well and cool.
Grape tomatoes: 1 ½ cups diced tomatoes may be substituted for the grape tomatoes. Seed your tomatoes if desired.
Kalamata olives: Substitute black olives or your favorite green olives if desired, and leave them whole if you prefer that.
Parsley: Or substitute other fresh herbs such as basil, cilantro, or mint.
Yield: This recipe makes about 8 cups of salad, enough for 8 as a side dish (1 cup per serving) or 4 as a main dish/lunch option (2 cups per serving).
Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. If you want to meal prep the salad, leave out the feta cheese until the day you are going to eat it.
Make ahead: The salad dressing can be made up to 3 days in advance. Store covered in the refrigerator. The vegetables can be prepped the day before and stored separately in the refrigerator.
More mix-ins: Get creative with cubed avocado, 1 chopped romaine heart (about 4 cups or 8 ounces), your favorite fresh herbs, or even 8 ounces cooked pasta (drained and cooled).
Make the dressing your own: Try adding 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, a teaspoon of honey, a minced clove of garlic, or a pinch of red pepper flakes.

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