This Crunchy Chickpea Mediterranean Salad is an easy and healthy everyday salad. It has roasted chickpeas, quinoa, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and feta. Drizzled with a simple lemon vinaigrette. The perfect salad for a side or healthy lunch.

Ingredients You'll Need

Lettuce: Choose a crispy lettuce, like romaine or baby crispy green leaf, for that crunchy refreshing flavor.

Cherry Tomatoes: They're perfect in salads because of their small size and sweet, juicy flavor profile. I like to half (or quarter) them depending on size so you'll get some tomato in every bite.

Cucumber: Any type of cucumber will work here. Just chop them up into bite size pieces. It makes this salad taste extra light and summery.

Quinoa: You only need ½ cup of cooked quinoa. This is the perfect way to use some leftover quinoa.

Crispy Chickpeas: I always have a bag of roasted chickpeas with sea salt in the pantry (Biena is my favorite). They're perfect for a snack or to toss on top of a salad. They're high in protein and fiber, and are healthier than topping with croutons. You can always roast your own chickpeas if you prefer!

Feta: Top with crumbled feta for that traditional mediterranean flavor.

Simple Lemon Vinaigrette: To keep it super simple, just mix together some extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to drizzle over this salad.

How to Make This Mediterranean Salad

To make this salad:

Make the Simple Lemon Vinaigrette. In a small bowl or jar, mix extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. Assemble the Salad. Start with the lettuce. Top with quinoa, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, roasted chickpeas, and crumbled feta. Drizzle with the simple lemon vinaigrette.

3. Serve. This makes 2 lunch sized salads, or 4 side salads. Enjoy!

*You can make this Crunchy Chickpea Mediterranean salad ahead of time, though you should top with the roasted chickpeas right before serving so they stay crunchy.

Possible Variations

Swap out the Roasted Chickpeas. You can use croutons or another type of bean like edamame, navy beans, or non-roasted chickpeas.
Add a protein. Chicken, Steak, Fish, or Tofu would all go well as a topping for this salad.
Add or swap out the veggies. Other fruits/veggies that would be delicious include red onion, artichokes, olives, bell pepper, avocado, grapes, and figs.
Use a different cheese. Crumbled Goat cheese or Parmesan would also be great!

Other Salad Recipes to Consider

Crunchy Chickpea Mediterranean Salad

Author: Nicole | Fresh Apron
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: Makes 2 meals or 4 side salads 1x

Print Recipe

Description

Ingredients

Scale

For the Salad

4 ounces lettuce (romaine or baby crispy green leaf)
½ cup cooked quinoa
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered (depending on size)
½ cup cucumber, chopped
¼ cup roasted chickpeas (I like Biena)
2 tablespoons crumbled feta

For the Simple Lemon Vinaigrette

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1.5 tablespoons lemon juice
salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Make the Simple Lemon Vinaigrette. In a small bowl or jar, mix the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Set aside.
Assemble the Salad. In a large bowl, add the lettuce, quinoa, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, chickpeas, and feta. (or you can assemble in individual bowls)
Drizzle with the Simple Lemon Vinaigrette. Toss to combine.
Serve and enjoy!

Notes

You can make this Crunchy Chickpea Mediterranean salad ahead of time, though you should top with the roasted chickpeas right before serving so they stay crunchy.