Mediterranean Roasted Zaatar Chickpea Salad

Just give up your salad creations now because you will not have anything better than this salad. This is my Mediterranean Zaatar Roasted Chickpea Salad and it's going to be a HIT this summer. I wanted to create something that was of course high in fiber, but also something that reminds us of the warm, summer, pool days that are ahead of us. I want you to have something to crave when you're at home on the weekends or something to get you through your busy work/school weeks.

I combined all of the Mediterranean goodies in this recipe like sun-dried tomatoes, fennel, olives, tomatoes, feta, zaatar, parsley. I specifically roasted the chickpeas to get more flavor out of them because when you just add them straight from the can, it's not usually the best flavor. Roasting the chickpeas with salt, lemon pepper, and zaatar seriously spiced this recipe up and made it a bit more heart-warming. As for the dressing, I added the feta into the dressing so it's easily mixable into the salad. This way you get some feta in every bite.

Some substitution/additions you can make here is by opting out of the feta in the dressing, and instead adding a hint of dijon mustard for some creaminess and spice. You can add some kidney beans to bake in the oven along with the chickpeas for extra fiber and protein. Remember, legumes are also good sources of protein. You can use cilantro instead of parsley if you're out of parsley, it will still be delicious! If you want to pair more protein with the recipe, feel free to add some sautéd shrimp, white fish, or grilled chicken breast on the side. For my vegans, you can enjoy this salad alone or bake some tofu on the side.

This salad is truly one of my favorites because it's one that is going to taste better with time. Allowing the salad to marinate in the fridge for 1-3 days will bring out the flavor. This is why it's going to make for the best meal-preppable dish. If you're hosting anytime this summer, this salad can be a great addition to the dinner table, especially if the basis of the dinner is meat. Let's get to it.

Yields: 4

Portion: 1 cup

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

This recipe is gluten free and can be easily made dairy free by opting out of the feta.

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Ingredients:

2 15oz cans chickpeas, drained and washed

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt and lemon pepper

1 tsp zaatar (or more)

¼ cup finely chopped parsley

1 ½ cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in halves

2 hearts of palm, thinly sliced

¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes

½ cup Castelvetrano olives, sliced in halves

½ cup thinly sliced fennel

Juice of 1 ½ lemons

2 tbsp crumbled feta

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

¼ tsp salt

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Instructions:

1. Prep chickpeas: preheat oven to 400. Dry chickpeas well and add them onto a baking sheet. Coat them with olive oil. Season with salt and lemon pepper to taste. Add zaatar, and add more to your liking. Mix seasonings in well with your hands. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, you don't want them to be too crunchy.

2. Prep the ingredients: add parsley, cherry tomatoes, hearts of palm, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and fennel to a mixing bowl.

3. Prep dressing: Add lemon juice, olive oil, and feta to a small bowl. Add salt. Mix well. Set aside.

4. Serve: add roasted chickpeas onto salad. Pour on the dressing. Mix well. Serve and enjoy!

I hope you love this Mediterranean Roasted Zaatar Chickpea Salad recipe as much as I did, so if you do, please leave me a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I always read through my suggestions and comments, so please let me know your thoughts. If you have any questions you can feel free to DM me here or through Instagram. Speaking of Instagram - please tag me in all of your creations! I love seeing how the recipes come out and seeing how talented you all are. Sending my love.

xoxo,

averagearabgirl