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 lunch full of fresh flavors.
Chickpeas, bell peppers, corn, onion, feta, and parsley go together beautifully and give you an array of flavors and nutrients. This healthy lunch can make a super easy and tasty vegetarian potluck salad.
While everything about this 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.
Why This Recipe Works
Healthy – If nothing else, this salad is super good for you. It is a healthy lunch or light dinner option.
Fast and Easy – You know we love easy recipes here and this one is no different. This is a true, toss-and-go type recipe that we need in our rotation.
Meal Prep Friendly – Because of the little bit of chopping involved, chop those veggies early and make the dressing ahead of time. Then, the salad can be whipped up in less than five minutes.
Meal Prep Lunches – Make these on Sunday for a few days worth of healthy lunches that are not only delish but save you so much cash. This is one lunch you won’t avoid in the refrigerator.
🥗 Ingredients
I can’t wait for you to try this. The bright, vibrant colors invite you to keep coming back for more.
Chickpeas: Be sure to drain and rinse off the chickpeas before you add them. 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. It lasts for a few days in the fridge, so make it ahead of time.
🍽️ 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 chill in the fridge so you can eat it. This is a chickpea recipe you want to make!
Step One: 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, and place all the ingredients into a large bowl with the rinsed chickpeas and feta cheese.
Step Two: 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.
Step Three: 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.
🍲 Meal Prep
This salad will last in the refrigerator for 4-5 days and can be easily made in advance. When I plan 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 immediately dice onions and peppers anytime I come home from the grocery store or farmers market. I use these in many of my meals throughout the week, so it just makes sense to have them ready to go.
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 chopped in advance and they refrigerate well.
📌 Expert Tips
- Chickpeas and garbanzo beans are actually the same things. So when you are shopping, look for either.
- Leftovers need to be chilled.
- The flavor becomes more intense as it sits, so keep it chilled overnight before serving when possible.
🥘 Variations
The possibilities are endless when it comes to making changes to this 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 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. It is so refreshing and tasty.
🥄 Recipe FAQ
I will make it for lunch or as a side dish to our dinner. Another option is to take it to a potluck dinner or when you are heading to a friend’s house for a party.
I highly recommend using goat cheese, bleu cheese, or even mozzarella. A simple change, like swapping out the cheese makes a huge impact on the flavor of the dish.
Yep, of course! Cilantro is my second favorite herb to add to it. Another flavorful option is basil, oregano, and mint. They all give intense and yummy results.
Related Recipes
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Rainbow Chickpea Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 15 oz Cans Chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 1 Red Bell Pepper
- 1 Orange Bell Pepper
- 1 Ear of Corn
- ½ cup Fresh Parsley
- ½ Red Onion
- 3.5 oz Crumbled Feta Cheese
Dressing
- 5 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 4 tbsp Lemon Juice fresh squeezed
- 2 tsp SPLENDA® Naturals Sugar & Stevia Sweetener Blend
- 2 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 1 tbsp Minced Garlic
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Chop the red and orange bell pepper, onion and parsley. Use a knife to shave corn kernels off of cob. Place the ingredients in a large serving bowl with rinsed chickpeas and crumbled feta cheese.
- In a separate bowl, make the dressing by mixing olive oil, lemon juice, SPLENDA, mustard, garlic and desired amount of salt and pepper. Whisk vigorously. Pour over the salad and mix well so ingredients are evenly coated.
- Refrigerate for at least four hours, preferably overnight, before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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