This simple, easy to make tomato chickpea salad is packed with bright, fresh flavours. It’s a great salad to serve to dinner guests and be personalized to suit your taste preferences.
When making summer salads, it almost goes without saying that one must take advantage of fresh, seasonal ingredients. They are essential for optimal flavour and are a great way to use up local produce.
Be sure to use quality ingredients for this tomato chickpea salad, such as a good quality extra virgin olive oil and local tomatoes and basil, if possible.
As for the chickpeas, the canned variety is always quick and easy option however, they pale in comparison, in terms of flavour and texture to dried chickpeas. They are creamier and richer than the canned variety, and you can also control the amount of salt added to them.
With fresh tomatoes growing like weeds in our garden, you can imagine how many we’ve consumed in the last two months.
Besides the ever-so constant tomato salad garnished with fresh basil and sea salt (my mouth is watering as we speak), I’ve created recipes that call for fresh tomatoes all summer long, from caprese avocado rice salad to black bean tuna salad.
I also can’t get enough of chickpeas-they’re a wonderful protein choice for vegans and vegetarians, and have a meaty, rich texture. Funny thing is I’ve had this tomato chickpea salad on my mind all summer, yet this is the first time I’ve made it. (#whatwasithinking)
Cooking up a pot of dried chickpeas is an habitual thing for a vegetarian like me, since they are one of my main sources of protein. They’re usually reserved for curries or hummus, and or a simple quinoa chickpea salad or chickpea pasta salad.
To date, this is by far my favourite chickpea recipe. It includes a combination of some of my all-time favourite ingredients-avocado, chickpeas, tomatoes, and basil. It’s that easy type of salad that you can whip up last-minute for a quick lunch, barbecue or picnic.
If chickpeas aren’t for you then simply substitute them with lentils, black beans or another legume.
As for the chickpeas, please do me a favour and try (just this once!) to cook them yourself. You will be surprised at the results-and will most likely never open up a can of chickpeas again!
They are so easy to prepare; soak them in a bowl of water overnight with a tablespoon of baking soda (which helps soften them during the cooking process), then cook the following day (in the same water) until fork tender.
We love this salad as is-but there’s no reason why you can’t omit or add your favourite ingredients. Recipes, especially salads, lend well to interpretation-so let your imagination run wild.
Add a variety of fresh or dried herbs, such as parsley, cilantro, or chives. Turn this healthy vegan salad into a non-vegan variation by adding some briny tuna or some crumbled feta or goat cheese.
Better yet, kill two birds with one stone by preparing this for a barbecue of picnic and divide the portions-one for vegans, and one for non-vegans.
On that note, I’m quite sure that non-vegans will also love this hearty, protein-packed salad, just how it is!
If you try this recipe (and love it!) be sure to snap a pic and tag me on Instagram with #bitesforfoodies so I can see your creation!
that looks so good! I can’t wait to try this!
I love this! I love garbazo into anything but unortunately my husband and kids does not like it.
Yummy! I love tomato and avocado mixed into a salad. Could you use canned chickpeas? I have some of those on hand that I could use.
Yes, of course! I find the skins on the canned chickpeas very thick. If you want to remove them easily, rub the chickpeas in a clean kitchen towel and then pick out the skins-they come right off!
Tomato + chick peas + avocado = YUMMM! Those three are my favorite salad additions! This looks wonderful!
What a refreshing and summery salad! My family loves chickpeas and tomatoes, though I have to admit that I’ve never used dried chickpeas before. I use dried beans, but I don’t know why I’ve never thought to use dried chickpeas! Silly me!
I work colleague convinced me once to cook with them….and they’re all I’ve used ever since!
Omg can we say yum?!?! This salad looks so yummy! I must give your recipe a try.
I love it, I don’t need any alternatives since I love chickpeas. Half an hour isn’t really that much for a wonderful night with this treat!
Half an hour, only if you prepare the chickpeas yourself! If you used the canned variety, this will take 5 minutes!
This looks so good!! I have not really had chick peas in a lot of recipes like this before, I really need to eat them more often.
Chickpeas are yummy! My mom used to make great salads, soups and dishes with chickpeas in them. I’m trying your salad recipe. It looks delicious!
That looks so delicious and doesn’t appear to be a hard recipe to follow. I’ll have to stock up on chickpeas and try it for brunch one day.
I have to admit I have not tried to many recipes with chickpeas in them. This salad sounds interesting and sounds like one my family would love to try. I will have to make this for us. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
For me, chickpeas were always reserved for hummus, but I’ve been using them in salads, soups, etc for a few years now.
I would love this salad. I really like using chickpeas in all sorts of recipes! This would be awesome for lunch.
I am not a tomato person at all unfortunately, but, otherwise, this sounds delish! My daughter would definitely love it!
I’m really not either…the only tomatoes I will eat are the ones that grow in our garden during the summer!!! During the winter and I don’t attempt eating…they have no flavour!
This looks really good. What a yummy and healthy salad idea! I love eating chickpeas because they have so much protein.
I LOVE salads like this! And I have everything I need, except the chick peas!! Guess what I just added to the grocery list? 🙂 I don’t have fresh garden tomatoes, but I do have fresh basil growing in a pot on my back step 🙂 I can’t wait to give this a try!
Fresh basil is good enough…as many fresh ingredients as you can get, the better. Locally grown tomatoes would be delicious too!
Love this type of food, it is what I live on and feast on. I love tomatoes and chickpeas in salads. I never have tried to cook a chickpea or make my own, so I am going to give this a whirl.
Me too! I love these fresh, hearty salads!
This tomato chick pea salad looks easy enough to make. I am going to give it a try, not normally a flavor I would create on my own but you have inspired me to try something new!
I agree that dried chickpeas are so much better than canned. I do keep both on hand and use canned when I’m in a hurry. I love the fresh, seasonal vibe of your salad.
I also keep both on hand…and the canned ones are great for last-minute meals. I really do prefer the taste and texture of the dried ones though.
I absolutely love cherry tomatoes! I bet this would be absolutely delicious! I wonder how it would taste if you roasted the chickpeas. YUM. You are definitely inspiring me!
Ooh, roasted chickpeas would be amazing in this…even roasted tomatoes?!?
Maybe it is the hot summer months, but I am on a kick of light and refreshing salads for my lunches. This Chickpea Salad is just what I’ve been craving. And it is so simple to create, which is a huge plus!
I just bought some chick peas and we have tomatoes from our garden. I really need to make this tomorrow for lunch at work. I am sure all of my coworkers will want my lunch! HA!
Great! How did it turn out?
My mom is a huge fan of chick peas and she would love this recipe. I am going to share it with her. I love how fresh it is and simple to make. This would be a great recipe to take to a picnic or a potluck.
Thanks for sharing!
THIS LOOKS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! So delicious and healthy, I absolutely can’t wait to try it out! Your photos included were also beautiful, and made reading it such a breeze.
Thank you Pier!
My mom used to make something like this when I was growing up. It was one of my fave sides of all time. I have to try this recipe. It sounds so delicious.
What a refreshing salad! Looks so delicious and summery. And I just love chickpeas…combining them with the avocado and tomatoes sounds like a party on a fork! YUM!
This looks so amazing. I love tomatoes and avocados. This salad is packed with protein. It would be a good recipe for our healthy eating journey we have started today. We will have to give this one a try. Looks really delicious.