Recipe: Chopped Chickpea Salad

If your goal is to make a filling salad for dinner that won’t leave you reaching for frozen pizza an hour later, then you need to make sure protein-packed chickpeas are front and center. With a chameleon-like ability to adapt to whatever flavors that surround it, this legume can be combined with any number of fresh greens and veggies for a wholesome, nourishing salad designed for dinner satisfaction.

Inspired by easy-to-eat chopped salad, this version is the best dinner salad to keep in your meal plan rotation. In a departure from your standard green salad with a big base of lettuce, this one uses leafy greens as a supporting ingredient and leans on chickpeas as the base. Since they’re packed with protein and fiber, we find they automatically make for a more filling meal.

Delicious, filling salads don’t require a recipe so much as a smart template and plenty of fresh inspiration and ingredients, which is precisely how this chopped chickpea salad comes together. It all boils down to six key components.

• Chickpeas: Canned chickpeas are our pick for convenience, but you can also cook up a batch of dried beans, if you like.
• Chopped greens: We’re partial to crunchy romaine, spicy arugula, or crisp red cabbage. You can even toss in some fresh herbs.
• Red onion: This brings a little bit of sweetness and a little bit of bite. Rinse them under cold water if you want a milder flavor.
• At least 2 chopped vegetables: Tomatoes, cucumbers, diced zucchini, corn — it’s all fair game.
• More protein: Give your salad an extra boost of protein with cheese, sliced hard-boiled egg, or nuts.
• Dressing: The red wine vinaigrette listed below goes with pretty much everything, although you can also swap in another favorite.

With this template in mind, we created three versions of the chopped chickpea salad to show you just how easy it is to customize.

• Inspired by a classic diner-style Greek salad, this version mixes chickpeas with crunchy chopped romaine, hopped cucumbers, tomatoes, bell pepper, salty olives, and creamy feta.
• The Italian-style salad starts with chickpeas, then blends in spicy arugula and sweet basil, tomatoes, roasted red pepper, and creamy mozzarella bites.
• Lastly, the slaw-style salad combines chickpeas with shredded red cabbage strands, chopped cucumbers and carrots, crunchy peanuts, and a pop of fresh cilantro.

Ready to help your family eat even more veggies? Of course you are. Us too! This week we’re sharing family-friendly vegetarian recipes that will show you the ease and versatility of including a meat-free night in your meal plan. These dinners are easy to pull together on busy weeknights and will satisfy adults and kids alike.