Summertime and the living is chickpeas

August 3, 2019 8:52 AM

What are your favorite vegetarian chickpea salad recipes?

Please indulge our current chickpea obsession with some tasty salad recipes, vegetarian please.

posted by medusa to Food & Drink (21 answers total)

I like this kale, farro, and chickpea salad with miso quite a bit.

And, not a salad, but if you like salt and vinegar chips, chickpeas cooked in vinegar and then tossed with olive oil and salt and roasted til crunchy is my favorite snack lately. I pretend the protein in the chickpeas makes it healthier than potato chips....
posted by the primroses were over at 9:05 AM on August 3, 2019

This one is dead simple and amazing; I usually add a diced bell pepper (and sometimes sauté the pepper, grated carrot, shallot, and garlic for a minute or two before adding the chickpeas). Even better the next day, especially with a fried egg on top.
posted by karayel at 9:32 AM on August 3, 2019 [1 favorite]

This recipe might seem so basic that it almost seems like it's not worth making, but Cookie and Kate's carrot salad with chickpeas is definitely more than the sum of its parts.

I also really like Minimalist Baker's chickpea Caesar.
posted by bcwinters at 9:53 AM on August 3, 2019 [1 favorite]

We make a tuna-salad type recipe. Slightly mash the chickpeas, add mayo, chopped celery, relish, salt and pepper. We eat this all the time with crackers.
posted by gryphonlover at 10:05 AM on August 3, 2019 [3 favorites]

Radish, Cucumber, Onion & Chickpea Salad with a Lemon-Parsley Dressing from my old food blog.
posted by jocelmeow at 10:12 AM on August 3, 2019

My wife makes a salad of garbanzos, red grapefruit, avocado, and (I think) cilantro, with a plain oil-and-vinegar dressing.
posted by adamrice at 10:29 AM on August 3, 2019

This Turkish garbanzo salad is easy to make and absolutely delicious! Sweet and savory and salty and sour all at once.
posted by centrifugal at 10:45 AM on August 3, 2019 [2 favorites]

One that I fell for hard is dead simple - for a can-of-chick-peas quantity, add like a half a chopped onion, a handful of chopped olives, and a basic vinaigrette with a tablespoon or so of chopped rosemary in it.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:59 AM on August 3, 2019 [1 favorite]

Smitten Kitchen’s Smashed Chickpea Salad is great and allows for a lot of ingredient variations.
posted by sciencegeek at 11:24 AM on August 3, 2019 [1 favorite]

I don't know where I found this recipe, but it's simple and great:

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 can chickpeas/garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
½ red onion, diced (or a whole one if small)
1 bell pepper, sliced
Large handful parsley leaves, finely chopped
Juice of half a lemon (whole one if small)
½ cup lfeta cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste (optional)

Heat olive oil in frying pan. Add onion and red pepper and cook, stirring over medium heat for 6-8 minutes. Stir in chickpeas. Squeeze lemon juice and add parsley, and salt and pepper to taste (optional). Warm the chickpeas through, and then pour into a large bowl and allow to sit for a few minutes. Add feta cheese and toss lightly.
posted by BlahLaLa at 12:15 PM on August 3, 2019 [1 favorite]

Seconding the suggestion for mock tuna salad. Here’s a decent recipe. I find the addition of diced red onion really makes it, and (because I like the flavour; YMMV) sometimes a bit of dried dulse (or other seaweed) if I have it on hand.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 12:17 PM on August 3, 2019

Orangette’s Chickpea Salad with Lemon and Parmesan brings out the best of chickpeas in a really simple preparation. The whole dish is greater than the sum of its parts.
posted by homodachi at 2:50 PM on August 3, 2019 [3 favorites]

Smitten Kitchen’s carrot chickpea salad is also great.
posted by foxy_hedgehog at 4:36 PM on August 3, 2019

I just made this one from Budget Bytes, with orzo instead of quinoa and using the Trader Joe’s marinated artichokes in a jar. It was easy and delicious -don’t skimp on the lemon juice.
posted by Red Desk at 7:35 PM on August 3, 2019

Balela would be my go to.
posted by OneSmartMonkey at 8:19 PM on August 3, 2019

Rinse a can of chickpeas and toss in a bowl with a hearty glug of olive oil, the juice of a lemon, and a dash of salt.

Cover.
Chill.
Eat.

No, seriously. Adjust quantities as needed. This is the best thing that can be done to chickpeas.
posted by windykites at 10:36 PM on August 3, 2019

Not salad recipes, but quite inspiring: 12 creative recipes with canned chickpeas
posted by mumimor at 5:18 AM on August 4, 2019

Moroccan Chickpea Quinoa Power Salad is my go-to. It keeps well in the fridge (even if you add the dressing), it's filling, and it's easy enough to make.
posted by gursky at 8:56 AM on August 4, 2019

Roast Tomatoes, Fennel and Chickpeas with Preserved Lemons and Honey

Bulgur and Chickpea Salad with Roast Tomato and Halloumi

Turmeric Chickpeas with Lime Couscous

Antipasto Chopped Salad (skip the soppressata here to keep it vegetarian)

Watermelon and Halloumi Salad with Magic Sauce

Koussa Fattoush
posted by zsh2v1 at 12:16 PM on August 4, 2019 [1 favorite]

Smitten Kitchen’s Smashed Chickpea Salad is great and allows for a lot of ingredient variations.

+1. We usually 4x and add sundried tomatoes that have been packed in olive oil
posted by matildatakesovertheworld at 5:03 PM on August 4, 2019

I highly recommend this vegan Indian chaat salad from Meera Sodha's book Made in India. I found the recipe online here. For a seasonal variation I replaced the pomegranate with pitted cherries. So yum! Even if you don't make the entire salad, make the fried chickpeas and add to other salads - very addictive!
posted by peacheater at 1:46 PM on August 5, 2019 [1 favorite]