Now that the warm weather has finally arrived, there’s nothing like a refreshing salad to enjoy on a sunny afternoon. This is why we’re excited to share this delicious and healthy lemon chickpea salad recipe with you.
Bursting with flavour, nutrients, and juicy vegetables, this quick and easy salad is exactly what you need for lunch or as a side for when you’re grilling or enjoying a picnic during the spring and summer months. The salad is made with a mixture of protein-packed chickpeas, fresh veggies that bring lots of crunch and flavour, and fresh lemon juice for a pop of citrus.
What we love about this chickpea salad recipe is it’s extremely quick and easy to make, only requires a few fresh ingredients, and because it uses canned chickpeas, there’s no cooking — which we definitely are fans of.
Just remember, the key to any great salad is making sure you have a good balance of flavours, so don’t be afraid to add an extra dash of salt or pepper or a squeeze of lemon juice to really bring the flavour to a level that you love and enjoy. This refreshing salad is best served immediately, though you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a day, but the longer it sits, the more likely moisture from the vegetables will seep out and make the salad a bit watery.
Serves: 2 as a meal or 3-4 as a side
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 3 mini cucumbers, sliced in half
- 4 celery sticks, chopped thinly
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup of red onion, finely chopped
- ¼ cup parsley, finely chopped
- ¼ cup fresh mint, finely chopped
Method:
- To get things started, we’re going to make the salad dressing first. Mix together the olive oil, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and several grinds of pepper in a bowl and set aside.
- Next, we’re going to open the can of chickpeas and rinse and strain them under cool water. Then it’s time to peel, chop, and dice all of the vegetable ingredients. Also, keep in mind that if you want to serve a larger group, you can double the ingredients.
- Once all of your ingredients are prepped and ready to go, add the chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, red onion, parsley, and mint into a large bowl and mix together. Once the ingredients are all mixed together, pour in the dressing and mix everything together.
- Once everything is mixed nicely together, serve the salad into bowls and garnish with extra mint and salt and pepper if needed. And finally, enjoy!
Recipe & Images: Ainsley Smith
