But without olives. Because even after all of my efforts to try and like olives…I just can’t get myself to enjoy them. So it’s a roasted chickpea Greek salad without olives in it. Sue me.
You know what I’ve realized recently? I have one kind of salad that I truly enjoy. Fresh garden vegetables and crumbly cheese topped with fried chicken tenders. Or chicken nuggets. Both satisfy the craving.
Maybe it’s the fact that I truly loved ordering the crispy chicken salads at fast-food chains, or how I basically lived on the salad bar in college where I would just top my plate of fresh vegetables with sliced up chicken nuggets. Either way, I love a good fried chicken salad. And while this salad clearly does not have chicken on it, roasted chickpeas sort of give me that same vibe. And no, I’m not saying chickpeas taste like chicken nuggets, I’m not a crazy person.
What I am saying is how much I love a crunchy, savory topping on a salad, like fried chicken or roasted chickpeas. I mean, fried chicken sort of defeats the purpose of having a salad in the first place…but it truly is a satisfying lunch for me, and this roasted chickpea Greek salad is no different.
As I already said, this roasted chickpea Greek salad does not have black olives in it—which is usually traditional with a Greek salad. If you want to add them into yours, by all means, go for it! I’m just not a fan of them, and given that this is my blog and I can kind of post whatever I want—including the recipes I love—I’m gonna post a Greek salad without olives, okay? Glad we settled that.
How to roast chickpeas & store them
This will be the only complicated part of making this salad—promise! And don’t even worry, roasting chickpeas isn’t even that complicated.
To roast chickpeas: I keep it simple and start with a can of chickpeas (also labeled as garbanzo beans) at the store. I drain them, rinse them, pat them dry, then remove the chickpeas to a sheet pan. Drizzle a teaspoon of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for 25 minutes at 400 degrees. You’ll get about 1 cup of roasted chickpeas from this, which I usually throw 1/2 cup in my roasted chickpea Greek salad.
To store roasted chickpeas: Once they are cool, place the roasted chickpeas in an air-tight container and put them in the fridge. They should last. You can keep roasted chickpeas in the fridge for up to 5 days, but I personally recommend eating them before that.
To reheat roasted chickpeas: I promise you, they will not be good straight out of the refrigerator. You’ll want to reheat them in the oven again. Typically I throw my chickpeas in the oven and do a preheat to 400 degrees. By the time the oven is preheated, the chickpeas are perfectly toasted again and ready to eat. This usually takes about 10 minutes, so if you’re oven’s preheat is slower, just check the chickpeas after 10 minutes and see if they’re sizzling a little. If they are, they’re done.
Alright, here’s how to make this delicious roasted chickpea salad!
Roasted Chickpea Greek Salad
Ingredients
For the roasted chickpeas
- 1 15.5 oz. can of garbanzo beans
- 1 tsp olive oil
- Salt & pepper
For the Greek vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt
For the Greek salad
- 1 cup romaine lettuce sliced into thin strips
- 1/4 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/4 cup seedless cucumber quartered
- 2 Tbsp red onion diced small
- 1.5 oz. feta cheese diced small
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Drain the can of garbanzo beans into a colander. Rinse the beans in the colander, then transfer them to a clean towel.
- Pat dry the chickpeas. Some skins may fall off, that's okay! Peel those away, but don't peel all of the beans.
- Transfer the beans to a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
- Roast in the oven for 25 minutes.
- While the chickpeas are roasting, prepare the Greek vinaigrette. Place the olive oil, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, and garlic salt into a mason jar or reusable dressing bottle. Shake to combine.
- Add the romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, and feta to a large salad bowl.
- Toss on 1/2 cup of the roasted chickpeas (usually about 1/2 of the chickpeas you roasted) and toss with a 1 to 2 teaspoons of the Greek vinaigrette.
Notes
More chickpea & salad recipes
Whether you’re in the mood for more roasted chickpea recipes or hunting for salad inspiration, I’ve got you.
- Roasted Chickpea Fajitas
- Roasted Buffalo Chickpea Salad
- Greek Pasta Salad
- Apple Kale Salad
- Lemon Arugula Salad
- Caprese Salad
- Delicata Squash Salad
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