We’ve all heard about the Mediterranean diet. It is almost mythical. For whatever reason the people who grew up eating this way live longer and healthier than almost anyone else. Now, because I like all of you so much, and I want all of us to be around for a very long time, I thought I would share my recipe for Mediterranean Chickpea Salad.

Let’s take a look…

At the core of this salad sits chickpeas. A nutrient and protein dense legume that has been being cultivated for over 7500 years. Depending on where you are in the world you may know chickpeas as garbanzo beans or in their semi-liquid state, hummus.

The chickpeas provide this Mediterranean Salad with a big punch of protein and dietary fiber so what’s not to love?

Chickpeas come in two main states; dry, or canned. Dry chickpeas have to be soaked, preferably overnight and then boiled and cooled. Canned chickpeas just need to be opened, drained and rinsed. If you are the type of person who plans out your meals and knows a few days in advanced what you will be eating I would go with dried chickpeas. For everyone else I suggest canned ones.

Mediterranean Vegetables are those vegetables you would commonly find in Mediterranean food. Vegetables like cucumber, tomato, red onion, bell peppers, olives, zucchini, egg plant, etc.

For my version of this Mediterranean Chickpea Salad I lean more towards Greek influence than anything else. So, in my salad I use tomatoes, red onion, cucumber and olives. Having said that, there are very few limits to the what vegetables you could add to this.

It’s also important to note that I went for a very fresh version of this salad using all raw vegetables. However, roasted or grilled bell peppers, onion, zucchini, egg plant, etc. would be very good in this salad as well. This would be terrific during BBQ season.

Mediterranean Herbs

In addition to the vegetables in this salad there are also some fresh herbs and Feta Cheese. Let’s talk about the herbs first.

In North America we tend to think of mint as a sweet herb. An herb that would be served with a dessert as a garnish, or in tea. In the Mediterranean it is very often used in savoury dishes to great effect. Adding a small handful of chopped mint to this Mediterranean Chickpea Salad adds that little pop of flavour that no one was expecting but that everyone will love.

Another herb that goes very well with this salad, and pairs surprisingly well with mint is dill. A few sprigs of fresh dill add a really nice flavour. This can all be complimented with a little thyme, rosemary or oregano.

Feta Cheese

If you don’t know what Feta Cheese is you are missing out. Feta is a Greek Cheese generally made of sheep’s milk, goat’s milk, or a combination of the two. It is slightly salty with a grainy crumbly texture and it is absolutely delightful. In all honesty if you don’t know what it is or haven’t tried it, I really suggest you do. Here is a link to the Feta Wikipedia write up if you would like some more information.

The purpose of the feta in this salad is to add that little bit of saltiness as well as that creamy, cheesy texture. Seriously though, if you have the option to add cheese why wouldn’t you? And why not make it feta?

Salad Dressing

The dressing for this salad is pretty straight forward. Red wine vinegar, dried oregano, a touch of honey, a bit of garlic, salt and pepper, and olive oil. It’s the kind of dressing that can be thrown together in seconds but packs in a lot of flavour. Lemon can be added as can fresh herbs to add to the flavour.

Conclusion

This Mediterranean chickpea salad tastes great and is pretty great for you. It can be served as a side dish, eaten with chunks of roasted chicken or fish, or even just on it’s own for lunch. In theory it will even last up to four days in the fridge, but it will be gone long before then.

If you are looking for a side dish to jazz up your mid week meal, or something quick you can put together for lunch, this is the salad for you.

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Mediterranean chickpea salad

A quick, delicious and healthy salad that works just as well as a side dish as it does a lunch. 

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Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Keyword: Mediterranean chickpea salad

Servings: 4 people

Author: Chef Ben Kelly

Ingredients

• 1 can Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 baseball sized Red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 ea Cucumber, diced
• 1/2 pint Cherry Tomatoes
• 1/4 cup Kalamata Olives
• 1/2 cup Crumbled Feta (or more)
• 1 tbsp Chopped Fresh Parsley
• 4 ea Mint leaves, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp Red Wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
• 1/2 tsp Mustard Powder
• 1 tsp Honey
• 1 clove Garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• to taste Salt and Pepper

Instructions

• In a small bowl combine the vinegar, honey, garlic, mustard powder, and oregano. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until fully incorporated. 
• In a separate bowl combine all the other ingredients.
• Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. 
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!