Mediterranean Chickpea Tomato Cucumber Salad (Printable)
Fresh Mediterranean salad with chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumbers, and basil in a lemon-garlic dressing.
# List of ingredients:
→ Vegetables & Legumes
01 - 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
02 - 1½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
03 - 1 large cucumber, diced
04 - ¼ small red onion, thinly sliced
05 - ¼ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved (optional)
→ Fresh Herbs
06 - ½ cup fresh basil leaves, torn or sliced
07 - 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
→ Dressing
08 - 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
09 - 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
10 - 1 garlic clove, minced
11 - ½ tsp dried oregano
12 - ½ tsp sea salt, or to taste
13 - ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
# Steps:
01 - In a large mixing bowl, combine the drained chickpeas, halved cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, halved Kalamata olives (if using), torn basil leaves, and chopped parsley.
02 - In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the extra-virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, minced garlic, dried oregano, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper until the dressing is fully emulsified.
03 - Pour the prepared dressing over the salad ingredients. Gently toss everything together until all components are evenly coated.
04 - Taste the salad and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day to allow the flavors to meld together.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- This salad comes together in fifteen minutes with zero cooking, which means you get all the reward and none of the sweaty kitchen drama.
- The lemon garlic dressing seeps into the chickpeas overnight and tastes even better the next day, making it a meal prep dream.
02 -
- Do not dress the basil too far in advance because it wilts and turns black, so add it right before serving if you are prepping ahead.
- Underseasoning is the most common mistake with cold salads since chilled food needs more salt than you think.
03 -
- Let the dressed salad sit for ten minutes before eating because the lemon juice needs time to break into the chickpeas and soften the onion.
- Doubling the dressing recipe and keeping the extra in a jar in the fridge means you are always ten minutes away from this salad on a busy night.