All of your favorite Greek ingredients are combined in this easy Greek Chickpea Salad. This salad makes a great dish to bring to a picnic of backyard BBQ this summer. It also works nicely as a lunch option or a side dish to your main meal.      

GREEK CHICKPEA SALAD

As part of my weekly meal prep I like to throw together a couple of salads which usually includes a chickpea salad, like this Greek Chickpea Salad. 

It is a great topping on so many meals!

For example, you can top a Chicken Shawarma Bowl with it, or add it to a Beef Kafta Bowl or add it to a Hummus Spiced Beef Plate or a pita filled with hummus, tabbouleh and chicken. 

You can’t beat an easy salad that you can chop up at the begging of the week and will hold up in the fridge.

This chickpea salad is one of my favorites because I love Greek ingredients.

When Mike and I went to Greece last year I was in foodie heaven. The fresh olives, juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumbers and creamy feta cheese were out of this world.

I love Greek inspired dishes like this Spiralized Greek Salad, Greek Quinoa Salad, and this Greek Village Salad. 

But I also make a lot of other salads in my rotation like this Easy Lebanese Salad, Summer Orzo Pasta Salad and this Mediterranean Bean Salad. 

 

WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE IN THIS CHICKPEA SALAD?

BEANS: Of course the protein of this salad is the chickpeas. You can use a can of chickpeas-I like to drain and rinse them.

Many people also like to soak their own chickpeas which also works nicely. You could substitute white beans or kidney beans for this chickpeas. 

FRESH VEGETABLES: The star of this salad is the crisp, fresh vegetables. I use cucumbers, red and green bell peppers, cherry tomatoes and red onion.

Feel free to use what you have on hand. Other ideas I like are jalapeño peppers for spice, green onion, zucchini {try spiralizing it} and cauliflower.

CHEESE: The creamy feta cheese is one of my favorites parts of a Greek salad.

I love the saltiness of it and the creamy texture it adds. If cheese isn’t your thing feel free to leave it out. 

OLIVES: Kalamata olives are always in my Greek inspired salads.

You can use a combination of green and kalamata olives or really anything you have on hand works. 

THE DRESSING: I make a simple Greek style dressing for this salad using extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper.

You can really use whatever light dressing you have or like. 

   

COOKING TIPS AND MODIFICATIONS: 

MAKE-AHEAD TIPS: If you are making this salad ahead of time I suggest prepping all of the ingredients and adding them together except for the feta cheese.

When you are ready to serve the salad add the feta cheese in and toss it to combine.

I also leave the dressing off of the salad until about two hours before I am serving and then I will toss it and refrigerate it. You can make the dressing ahead of time and store in a mason jar so it is ready to go. 

BEANS: Like I mentioned above, this salad uses chickpeas but you can use a variety of beans. White beans and kidney beans work really nicely.

You could also get creative and try two or three beans along with the other ingredients. 

FRESH VEGETABLES: This salad is at its best in the warm months when you can use farmers market or garden vegetables.

I love finding whatever is in season and adding that in. For example, in summer I love finding heirloom tomatoes and adding those. 

SPIRALIZING: To make this salad extra fun sometimes I like to spiralize a cucumber or zucchini and add that in. It adds texture and is visually appealing. 

FRESH HERBS: Another way to take this salad to the next level is fresh herbs. I love adding fresh mint, parsley or basil. 

 

WHAT TO PAIR YOUR CHICKPEA SALAD WITH?

I love to pair this salad with seafood like this Air Fryer Cod, Black Sea Bass or this Baked Cod with Lemon Sauce. 

Beef is another nice pairing. I often do this Grilled Flank Steak with Dry Rub, Grilled Beef Kofta Kebabs or these Mediterranean Beef Kabobs. 

A few other dishes I like to serve with this salad are these Mediterranean Baked Turkey Meatballs, Moroccan Chicken Thighs or these Grilled Chicken Thighs with Greek Marinade. 

OTHER CHICKPEA RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE:

1-POT CHICKPEA SHAKSHUKA // MINIMALIST BAKER 

SPICY CHICKPEA LETTUCE WRAPS // GIMME DELICIOUS

SPANISH SPINACH WITH CHICKPEAS // SIMPLE VEGAN BLOG