Mediterranean Chickpea Tomato Cucumber Basil (Printable Version)
Fresh Mediterranean salad with chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumber, and basil in a zesty lemon dressing.
# What You'll Need:
→ Vegetables & Legumes
01 - 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
02 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
03 - 1 medium cucumber, diced
04 - 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
05 - 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn or thinly sliced
→ Dressing
06 - 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
07 - 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
08 - 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
09 - 1 clove garlic, minced
10 - 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
11 - 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
12 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
→ Optional Additions
13 - 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (omit for vegan)
14 - 1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
# How To Make:
01 - In a large mixing bowl, combine the drained chickpeas, halved cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, and torn basil leaves.
02 - In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the olive oil, fresh lemon juice, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, dried oregano, sea salt, and black pepper until fully emulsified.
03 - Pour the prepared dressing over the salad mixture and toss gently until all ingredients are evenly coated.
04 - If desired, scatter crumbled feta cheese and sliced Kalamata olives over the top of the salad.
05 - Serve immediately at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to 2 hours to allow the flavors to meld together before serving.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- This salad genuinely takes fifteen minutes from can opener to fork, which is faster than deciding what to order for delivery.
- The chickpeas make it filling enough to stand alone as lunch, but it never feels heavy or slow on a hot day.
02 -
- Do not let this salad sit longer than two hours in the fridge because the cucumber releases water and the dressing gets cloudy and thin.
- Rinsing canned chickpeas thoroughly under cold water removes the starchy liquid that otherwise makes the dressing gummy and dull.
03 -
- Halving the cherry tomatoes with a serrated paring knife instead of a chef's knife gives you cleaner cuts and keeps the juice inside where it belongs.
- Letting the dressed salad rest for ten minutes at room temperature before eating allows the chickpeas to absorb the flavors in a way that immediate serving simply cannot match.