This Chickpea Salad Is Packed With Protein And Spring Flavors
Whenever winter feels particularly brutal and the longing for spring hangs in the air, it always helps to look ahead and embrace the emerging seasonal offerings. This spring-forward chickpea salad recipe, from the kitchen of recipe developer Jennine Rye, is wonderfully fresh, light, and herbaceous, and will make a wonderful lunchtime or side dish offering to herald in the coming season.
Oven-baked chickpeas lie at the heart of this salad recipe, providing heaps of fiber and protein along with a deliciously nutty flavor profile. The salad is assembled using some of the finest offerings of early spring: garden peas, crisp mixed greens, crunchy radishes, and fresh chives, mint, and dill. Avocado brings a delicious creaminess to the salad, and feta adds a complementary rich, salty tang into the mix, which is brought together using a light yet bright and zesty homemade lemon vinaigrette. If you are growing tired of the heavy stews and warming comfort dishes, this spring-forward chickpea salad will provide a much-needed burst of freshness to celebrate the oncoming spring.
Gather the ingredients for this spring-forward chickpea salad recipe
To begin this spring-forward chickpea salad recipe, first you will need to gather the ingredients. To start, you'll need canned chickpeas, olive oil, salt, and pepper. To assemble the salad you will also need garden peas, mixed greens, an avocado, radishes, feta cheese, and fresh dill, chives, and mint. For the lemon vinaigrette you will want the juice and zest of a lemon, olive oil, honey, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Step 1: Preheat the oven
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Step 2: Prepare the chickpeas for roasting
Pat the chickpeas dry, then transfer them to a baking sheet. Toss them with 2 teaspoons olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
Step 3: Bake the chickpeas
Transfer the chickpeas to the oven to bake for 20 minutes. Once baked, set aside to cool slightly.
Step 4: Boil the peas
Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the frozen peas and cook for about 1 minute.
Step 5: Transfer the peas to an ice bath
Drain the peas and immediately transfer them to an ice bath. Leave for 1 to 2 minutes to cool, then drain and pat dry.
Step 6: Mix the vinaigrette
Make the vinaigrette: Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, honey, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper to a jar. Seal the lid and shake for 10 to 15 seconds, until the vinaigrette ingredients have emulsified.
Step 7: Assemble the salad
Assemble the salad by placing the mixed greens in a large serving bowl. Top with the sliced avocado, sliced radishes, crumbled feta, peas, and chickpeas.
Step 8: Top with fresh herbs
Top the salad with the fresh chopped dill, chives, and mint.
Step 9: Dress the salad and serve
Dress the salad with the lemon vinaigrette just before serving.
What to serve with this spring-forward chickpea salad
Spring-Forward Chickpea Salad Recipe
This spring-forward chickpea salad is loaded with fresh veggies like peas and radishes, tangy feta cheese, and a fresh lemon vinaigrette.
Ingredients
- For the salad
- 14 ounces canned chickpeas, drained
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- ¾ cup garden peas, frozen
- 3 packed cups mixed greens
- 1 medium avocado, sliced
- 5 radishes, thinly sliced
- ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint, roughly chopped
- For the lemon vinaigrette
- 1 whole lemon, juiced and zested
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Pat the chickpeas dry, then transfer them to a baking sheet. Toss them with 2 teaspoons olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
- Transfer the chickpeas to the oven to bake for 20 minutes. Once baked, set aside to cool slightly.
- Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the frozen peas and cook for about 1 minute.
- Drain the peas and immediately transfer them to an ice bath. Leave for 1 to 2 minutes to cool, then drain and pat dry.
- Make the vinaigrette: Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, honey, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper to a jar. Seal the lid and shake for 10 to 15 seconds, until the vinaigrette ingredients have emulsified.
- Assemble the salad by placing the mixed greens in a large serving bowl. Top with the sliced avocado, sliced radishes, crumbled feta, peas, and chickpeas.
- Top the salad with the fresh chopped dill, chives, and mint.
- Dress the salad with the lemon vinaigrette just before serving.
Nutrition
| Calories per Serving | 457 |
| Total Fat | 30.2 g |
| Saturated Fat | 6.0 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 16.7 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 38.2 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 12.9 g |
| Total Sugars | 9.6 g |
| Sodium | 639.0 mg |
| Protein | 13.1 g |
What other ingredients could I add to this chickpea salad?
Spring-forward salads are known for their fresh and vibrant ingredients, and there are plenty of ways to mix up this chickpea salad to celebrate the first produce of the new year. Scallions, also known as spring onions, make a great addition to this salad, and are even better when lightly pan-charred as they add a slight smokiness to the dish along with their fresh, peppery flavor. Asparagus, broccoli, and sugar snap or snow peas all make delicious, crunchy vegetable additions. If you opt for one of these green veggie options, blanch them before adding them to the salad. For extra greenery that doesn't need blanching, sliced or shredded cucumber adds a cooling and refreshing element to the dish, or you can reach or a combination of different lettuce leaves such as baby spinach, arugula, or watercress.
Feta works well in this spring-forward salad due to it's fresh, salty, and tangy flavor profile, but it's not the only cheese that will work. Goat cheese would also provide a similarly tangy and earthy flavor. If you would like more crunch in your salad, you can finish it off with some toasted pine nuts, pecans, or pepitas.
Can I use a different type of dressing on this salad?
This salad recipe calls for a simple homemade lemon vinaigrette, one that perfectly complements the fresh, bright flavors of the dish while keeping things light. While often considered an afterthought, a good, flavorful salad dressing can completely change the taste of the finished dish. So, if you would like to take things in an different direction with this springy salad, it's important to consider which dressings will complement the rest of the salad.
For a tried and tested alternative, a classic balsamic vinaigrette makes a great option. Simple and still fairly light, this dressing can be assembled with pantry staples and it won't overpower the light and fresh flavors of the spring-centric salad ingredients. Another option is reaching for a herb-based vinaigrette. This will take the herbaceous element of the salad up another notch or two, and can either be made by incorporating a mixture of your favorite fresh herbs into a simple olive oil and white wine vinegar base, or by adding a small amount of basil pesto into a similar oil and vinegar mixture for a fresh and bright dressing. While we would recommend steering clear of heavier, creamy dressings (like ranch or Thousand island), yogurt dressings can work well with this salad. Making a simple yogurt dressing with shredded cucumber or mint will add a slight tangy and cooling element to the salad, along with a light creaminess.