Chickpea Salad

This delectable Chickpea Salad combines many of your favorite Mediterranean flavors like cucumbers, kalamata olives, tomatoes, red onions ,and feta cheese in a light lemon vinaigrette.  It comes together in less than ten minutes and is packed full of natures healthy goodness.  I love to serve this side dish with Grilled Marinated Chicken and Smoked Salmon Patties with Dill Mayonnaise.

This Zucchini Chickpea Avocado Salad is so simple and amazingly delicious!  It is full of heart-healthy veggies so its nutritional value is high. Eating chickpeas provides you with a vegetarian-friendly source of protein, with each cup of cooked garbanzo beans containing 15 grams of protein.  Cucumbers, red onions, and tomatoes provide a good healthy helping of fiber.  While feta is low in calories and fat yet high in calcium.

How do you make Chickpea Salad?

First in a small bowl whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, and crushed red pepper. You could also shake the ingredients together in a mason jar with a lid. Next in a large bowl combine the garbanzo beans (chickpeas), cucumber, grape tomatoes, bell pepper, kalamata olives, red onions, and feta cheese.  Finally, drizzle with lime vinaigrette and sprinkle with parsley or other fresh herbs. Toss to coat and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe tips

• Drain and rinse the chickpeas well.
• Taste before seasoning with salt and pepper as kalamata olives and feta cheese are salty.
• If you know you are going to reserve part of this recipe for leftovers then hold off blending the feta cheese in the reserved portion until you are ready to serve.
• You can use any colored bell pepper although the red and orange are slightly sweeter than the green bell peppers.
• Use a good quality feta cheese and the freshest vegetables you can get your hands on (preferably organic).
• To make this salad vegan friendly simply omit the feta cheese.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.

Recipe flavor variations

• Add diced avocado for a little healthy fat.  Just remember to spritz them with a little lemon to keep them from turning brown.
• Fresh homegrown sun-ripened tomatoes are always the best choice when they are available.
• Sprinkle on 1/4 cup shelled salted or unsalted sunflower seeds for a little boost in nutrients and vitamins.
• Add a couple of ribs of chopped celery for a little bit of crispy crunchy low-calorie vegetables.
• Serve between two slices of bread for a chickpea salad sandwich or for a low-carb version serve in lettuce cups. 

Other Mediterranean recipes you will love!

Easy Chickpea Salad Recipe

A delicious and easy Mediterranean Salad made with chickpeas, cucumbers, red onions, bell peppers, tomatoes and feta cheese all tossed in a light lemon vinaigrette.

5 from 14 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 237kcal

Author: Beth Pierce

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 pinches crushed red pepper
• 1 can 15.5 ounce garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
• 1/2 English cucumber chopped about 1 1/2 - 2 cups
• 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes sliced in half
• 1/2 orange or bell pepper diced
• 2/3 cup kalamata olives
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

• In a small bowl whisk lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, and crushed red pepper.
• In a large serving bowl combine garbanzo beans (chickpeas), cucumber, grape tomatoes, bell pepper, kalamata olives, red onions, and feta cheese.  Drizzle with the lemon vinaigrette, sprinkle with parsley, and season with salt and black pepper to taste.

Notes

• Drain and rinse the chickpeas well.
• Taste before seasoning with salt and pepper as kalamata olives and feta cheese are salty.
• If you know you are going to reserve part of this recipe for leftovers then hold off blending the feta cheese in the reserved portion until you are ready to serve.
• You can use any colored bell pepper although the red and orange are slightly sweeter than the green bell peppers.
• Use a good quality feta cheese and the freshest vegetables you can get your hands on (preferably organic).
• To make this salad vegan friendly simply omit the feta cheese.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.

Nutrition

Calories: 237kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 642mg | Potassium: 232mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1044IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 157mg | Iron: 1mg

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This post was originally published on July 9, 2016, and was republished on April 6, 2020, with new pictures, new content, and a new and improved recipe.