Crazy Easy, Super Tasty Chickpea Salad

One of my favorite salad toppings is marinated chickpeas. I used to search for them every time I'd have lunch from one of those cold buffet bars...until I realized, "why don't I just make them myself?" This is one of those recipes that you can slap together whenever you have some downtime and then store in the fridge to pull out later for a quick take-to-work lunch, a dinner side dish or an anytime snack! It's also one of those things that tastes better after it sits a little while (in the fridge, anywhere from an hour or up to a day in advance) so the flavors can meld.


Chickpeas are an excellent source of protein and fiber and a good source of iron. Go for the low sodium chickpeas since canned beans and legumes tend to be high in sodium.

Crazy Easy, Super Tasty Chickpea Salad
Two 15 oz cans chickpeas, rinsed & drained
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 medium red bell pepper, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced & ground to a paste w/ coarse salt
1/2 jalapeño, finely diced (optional)
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl, making sure to evenly coat the chickpeas in the rest of the ingredients. 

To serve: Place a scoop of chickpea salad over greens and top with cherry tomatoes, sliced avocado and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Alternatives: You can take this recipe in any direction you like. Omit the jalapeño if you would rather do without the heat. Use fresh rosemary instead of thyme or no herbs at all. Add feta, cucumber and olives. It's so easy you can have a lot of fun experimenting with it.

Image credit: Diane de Jesús, RD

One of my favorite salad toppings is marinated chickpeas. I used to search for them every time I'd have lunch from one of those cold buffet bars...until I realized, "why don't I just make them myself?" This is one of those recipes that you can slap together whenever you have some downtime and then store in the fridge to pull out later for a quick take-to-work lunch, a dinner side dish or an anytime snack! It's also one of those things that tastes better after it sits a little while (in the fridge, anywhere from an hour or up to a day in advance) so the flavors can meld.


Chickpeas are an excellent source of protein and fiber and a good source of iron. Go for the low sodium chickpeas since canned beans and legumes tend to be high in sodium.

Crazy Easy, Super Tasty Chickpea Salad
Two 15 oz cans chickpeas, rinsed & drained
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 medium red bell pepper, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced & ground to a paste w/ coarse salt
1/2 jalapeño, finely diced (optional)
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl, making sure to evenly coat the chickpeas in the rest of the ingredients. 

To serve: Place a scoop of chickpea salad over greens and top with cherry tomatoes, sliced avocado and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Alternatives: You can take this recipe in any direction you like. Omit the jalapeño if you would rather do without the heat. Use fresh rosemary instead of thyme or no herbs at all. Add feta, cucumber and olives. It's so easy you can have a lot of fun experimenting with it.

Image credit: Diane de Jesús, RD