Description
How to make vibrant chickpea beet feta salad with lemon garlic vinaigrette that’s perfect for meal prep and tastes like Mediterranean sunshine.
Ingredients
Scale
Salad Base
- 2 cans (15 oz each) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 3 medium roasted beets, peeled and diced
- 4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 English cucumber, diced
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
Lemon Garlic Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp honey
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts for garnish
Instructions
- Prep Vegetables: Drain and rinse chickpeas thoroughly. Dice roasted beets into bite-sized pieces. Thinly slice red onion and dice cucumber. Keep beets separate initially to prevent bleeding onto other ingredients.
- Make Vinaigrette: Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, honey, oregano, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning – it should be bright and well-balanced.
- Toast Nuts: Heat pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until golden and aromatic. Watch carefully as they burn quickly. Set aside to cool completely before using.
- Combine Base: In a large bowl, gently combine chickpeas, cucumber, red onion, parsley, and mint. Add half the vinaigrette and toss carefully to coat without mashing the chickpeas.
- Add Beets: Fold in diced beets gently to prevent them from bleeding too much color. Some pink tinting is normal and actually looks beautiful – embrace the natural color mixing.
- Finish Assembly: Crumble feta over the salad and drizzle with remaining vinaigrette. Top with toasted pine nuts. Let sit 10 minutes for flavors to meld before serving for best results.
Notes
- Add beets last and fold gently to minimize color bleeding throughout the salad.
- Store pine nuts separately when meal prepping to maintain their crispy texture.
- Soak sliced red onion in ice water for 10 minutes to mellow the sharp bite.
- Salad tastes best after resting 10 minutes for flavors to meld together.
- Use block feta instead of pre-crumbled for better texture and flavor.
- Rinse chickpeas thoroughly to remove excess sodium and metallic taste.
Allergy Information: Dairy, Tree Nuts
Nutrition
- Calories: 285 calories
- Fat: 14g
- Carbohydrates: 32g
- Protein: 12g