Need a quick and easy meal that tastes delicious but will also impress your guests, then this easy chickpea salad recipe is perfect for you! It’s vegetarian, made with simple ingredients, and has great flavor! It’s great for entertaining, picnics, or a healthy meal prep lunch at home.
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Chickpeas are a staple in my pantry and I make a meal with them at least once a week. My favorite way to eat them is in one of my buddha bowls, but this chickpea salad is now in my rotation as well.
I’ve gotten better at planning out my family’s meals, especially dinner. I set a menu for the week and then I pick from it each night based on what I’m feeling like eating. It has definitely made grocery shopping faster because I base my list on what I need for meals throughout the week. I also add in a take-out day to my meal plan. I have found this helps me stay on track with healthy eating, we have less food waste, and it helps me stay on a food budget. This plant-based salad is great for meal prep to eat throughout the week too.
Benefits of Chickpeas
Chickpeas, also called garbanzo beans, are not only a great source of plant-based protein but they’re high in fiber, and contain potassium and magnesium too! That’s why this simple chickpea salad is healthy, satisfying, and filling. Chickpeas are also inexpensive. I’ve bought them dry and canned and I prefer the canned version because they are much quicker. I cook my canned chickpeas in a pan over medium with olive oil, chopped onion, salt, and garlic powder.
Easy Chickpea Salad Perfect For Entertaining
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup cucumber, chopped
- 1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup roasted & salted almonds, chopped
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt, to taste
- ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese, or feta
Instructions
- Rinse and drain quinoa. Add quinoa and the 2 cups of water to a small pot and bring the water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork then set aside and let cool for 5 minutes.
- While the quinoa is cooking, make your chickpeas. This is my super simple recipe that takes less than 10 minutes and is so delicious!
- In a large bowl, stir together cooked quinoa, cucumber, parsley, red onion, almonds, chickpeas, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Gently stir in crumbled goat cheese.
- Serve immediately or let the salad chill in the fridge for a couple hours before serving which will help the flavor meld together even more.
- Store salad in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge.