Mediterranean Salad with Crispy Chickpeas & Herbed Vinaigrette
We're chickpea obsessed, and this salad features the beloved legume in two ways – oven-baked to a crisp and then smeared under the salad in hummus form.
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If you want to simplify this recipe, you can skip the prepared hummus, but if you have it on hand, it’s worth going for both. The herbed vinaigrette features parsley, mint, basil and chives for maximum herby flavor.
Ingredients
Vinaigrette
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
- 1 tbsp chopped chives
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Salad
- 1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained, rinsed and thoroughly dried
- 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
- sea salt, to taste
- 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1 English cucumber, quartered lengthwise, chopped
- 8 oz cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 2 oz full-fat feta cheese, crumbled
- ½ cup prepared hummus, optional
- 4 large eggs, hard boiled and halved lengthwise
- ground black pepper, to taste
Preparation
- Make vinaigrette: In a small skillet on low, combine one-half of oil and garlic. Heat until mixture begins to sizzle; let sizzle for 30 seconds, then transfer to a small bowl to cool. Combine remaining one-half of oil, parsley, mint, basil, chives, vinegar and mustard in a small food processor; pulse to mix. Add cooled garlic mixture, salt and pepper; blend until well combined.
- Prepare salad: Preheat oven to 350ºF. In a bowl, toss chickpeas with oil and salt. Spread on a baking sheet and bake until chickpeas are golden and very crisp, 40 to 45 minutes, shaking pan occasionally. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
- In a bowl, combine romaine, cucumber, tomatoes and feta. Add enough dressing to lightly coat; gently toss. Add more dressing as needed. If using, spread hummus on bottom of each plate. Top with cucumber mixture. Place 2 egg halves on each plate and sprinkle with additional salt. Season salads with pepper and sprinkle with crispy chickpeas.
MAKE AHEAD: Make the dressing up to 2 days ahead; cover and refrigerate. Chickpeas can be made the day before and stored in a loosely covered container. You may need to briefly toast them to crisp them up again.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size ¼ of recipe
- Calories 534
- Carbohydrate Content 27 g
- Cholesterol Content 199 mg
- Fat Content 41 g
- Fiber Content 9 g
- Protein Content 17 g
- Saturated Fat Content 8 g
- Sodium Content 681 mg
- Sugar Content 8 g
- Monounsaturated Fat Content 26.5 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat Content 4.5 g