Rainbow Chickpea Salad Recipe {WW 4 Purple, 4 Blue, 8 Green, Vegetarian, Gluten Free}

If you ever find yourself in a rut and aren’t sure what to eat, consider this refreshing Rainbow Chickpea Salad! It’s not only one of my favorite things to eat because it tastes fabulous, but it also happens to be gorgeous too. A healthy chickpea salad full of fresh flavors.

Chickpea Salad

Chickpeas, bell peppers, corn, onion, feta, and parsley go together beautifully and give you an array of flavors and nutrients. A healthy salad can make a super easy and tasty vegetarian potluck salad.

While everything about this chickpea salad is awesome, the dressing seriously takes it to the next level. It’s tangy, sweet, and has the perfect amount of garlic. You have to taste it to get the full effect. 

🍽️ Instructions

I know most salads are pretty easy to make, but this one is beyond simple! There are only three steps, and the only part that’s hard is waiting for it to cool so you can eat it. A chickpea recipe you want to make!

First Step: Begin by chopping up the red and orange bell peppers. Dice up the onions and chop the parsley. Shave the kernels off the corn cob using a knife, then place all the ingredients into a large bowl with the rinsed chickpeas and feta cheese. 

Second Step: Prepare the dressing in a small bowl. Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, Splenda, mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper. Whisk until well combined, then drizzle over the salad. Make sure all of it is coated evenly. 

Third Step: Put the salad in the fridge for at least four hours to let it chill. If possible, let it chill overnight so the flavors can marry together even more.

🥗 Ingredients

I can’t wait for you to try this rainbow chickpea salad. The bright vibrant colors just welcome you and invite you to keep coming back for more.

Chickpeas: Be sure to drain and rinse off the chickpeas before you add them to the salad. It will just give you overall better results.

Veggies: Red bell peppers, orange bell peppers, fresh parsley, red onions, and corn give this salad its bright rainbow appearance.

Dressing: The dressing is made with extra virgin olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, Splenda, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, salt, and pepper.

🍲 Meal Prep Instructions

This rainbow chickpea salad will last in the refrigerator for 4-5 days and can be made in advance. When I am planning out my meals, I will often go ahead and dice up my veggies, so they are ready to go when I want to put my salad together. 

It’s a habit for me to dice onions and peppers anytime I come home from the grocery store or farmers market. I love that I can quickly grab exactly what I need even on those days when time is tight.

Meal planning, in general, is a lot more efficient when you try to prep as many ingredients as you can ahead of time. Foods like carrots, celery, cucumbers, and radishes can all be cut up in advance.

🍴 Chickpeas 

If you’ve never eaten chickpeas or never worked with them before, I wanted to give you some helpful information. Over the years, chickpeas have become very popular, and it’s no wonder why. They are nutritious, delicious, and can be eaten cooked or right out of the can. That’s a win right there!

In every helping of chickpeas, you are going to be giving your body some valuable nutrients. Fiber, folate, iron, protein, and manganese are just a few reasons to load up on these little beauties. 

You may not realize it, but if you have eaten garbanzo beans, you have eaten chickpeas. They are the same thing! So, it really doesn’t matter what you call them, as long as you eat them. 

When you bite into chickpeas for the first time, you will immediately notice a nutty flavor that is delicious! They are almost creamy, and that’s why they are so perfect in salads and other foods like hummus. 

🥘 Variations

The possibilities are endless when it comes to this rainbow chickpea salad. The flavors go well with all sorts of fresh vegetables, so add in whatever you like. Try out some of these ideas:

• Tomatoes – Slice some grape or cherry tomatoes to add some flavor and zest to the salad. 
• Cucumber – I love chopping up an English cucumber and adding it to the chickpea salad. It’s so good! You can also use regular cucumbers too. 
• Avocado – Now, you shouldn’t add the avocado until you are ready to serve it, but it gives the salad an even creamier texture. 
• Cilantro – If you have some fresh cilantro on hand, chop it up and add it to the mixture. So refreshing and tasty. 

Related recipes 

• Crisp Tomato Cucumber and Onion Salad – You can whip this salad up in less than 10 minutes! Perfect for lunch or as a side dish to all your go-to meals. 
• Creamy Cucumber Salad – If you love cucumbers, you should really try this creamy salad. It’s made with just a few simple ingredients and is genuinely fabulous. 
• Chickpea Orzo Salad Lunch Meal Prep – Whether you are just starting to meal prep or an old pro, this salad is a must-try! Makes a beautiful vibrant lunch idea. 
• Easy Pasta Salad – Sometimes, I get hungry for a pasta salad, and this is almost always one I lean towards. Its flavor combination is terrific, and it will please a crowd too. 

This would be a hit at any potluck or cookout! And since it’s ideal to marinate overnight, you can save yourself some time on the day-of and prepare this chickpea salad recipe the night before. Hope you enjoy the recipe!

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