Pita Crunch Chickpea Salad
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Welcome to my favorite fridge salad! This chickpea salad is a fast, fun twist on a basic Mediterranean-style garbanzo bean salad, with the satisfying crunch of crushed pita chips in every bite. Toss the salad with fresh tomatoes, tender herbs, feta cheese, and a spiced-up tahini dressing.
I wanted to take an everyday chickpea salad recipe and turn it into something just a little more playful.
This colorful, very snacky salad plays on the basic ingredients and flavors in a falafel sandwich. I love eating it!
It’s one of those salad recipes that you’ll be happy to see in your refrigerator, any day of the week.
Ingredient rundown
- Chickpeas: Cook a batch of homemade cooked chickpeas or use canned chickpeas.
- Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes are a year-round staple, but any sweet, ripe tomato will be good. Use assorted colors (yellow, red, and orange) for an especially pretty salad.
- Spices: Ground cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper is the spice trio that reminds me most of falafel. I add ground turmeric to the mix to add a pretty golden color to the salad.
- Aromatics: I prefer red onion in this salad rather than yellow ones. They’re a tiny bit sweeter. You’ll also need fresh garlic and scallions (green onions).
- Pita chips: Since soft pita bread is a classic accompaniment for Mediterranean salads with chickpeas, as well as hummus, I thought it would be fun to mix in pita chips to add some tasty crunch to the salad. Use your favorite brand or make your own with stale pita bread (see recipe notes below).
- Tahini paste: This creamy butter is made with ground sesame seeds. Make sure to stir it well — or shake up the jar — for a pourable consistency.
How to make the chickpea salad
1. In a small skillet, soften chopped red onions and garlic with olive oil. Stir in ground spices until they’re coated with the oil — this “bloom” process infuses the oil with flavor. 2. Off the heat, add lemon juice and tahini paste to the pan — this sauce is the salad dressing.
3. Put chickpeas, tomatoes, herbs, green onions, and chopped jalapeno in a large bowl. Add the tahini dressing and toss together. 4. Serve in a salad bowl with crumbled pita chips and feta cheese sprinkled over the top of the chickpea salad.
Serving ideas
- Smash the salad slightly and stuff into soft pita bread to make a delicious chickpea salad sandwich.
- Add cooked salmon filets, chicken or shrimp to round out a dinner salad.
Pita Crunch Chickpea Salad
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup chopped red onion
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼-½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or crushed red pepper, to taste
- 2-3 tablespoons (45 ml) fresh lemon or lime juice
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) tahini paste
- 1½ cups cooked chickpeas, or 1 15-ounce can, drained
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
- 3 green onions, sliced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, or parsley, or a mixture of the two
Garnishes
- 1 cup plain pita chips, crumbled
- ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
Instructions
- Put 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add ½ cup chopped red onion, 2 cloves garlic, and a large pinch of salt. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Stir in ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon ground coriander, ½ teaspoon ground turmeric, and ¼-½ teaspoon cayenne pepper. Cook 30 seconds more to "bloom" the spice in the oil.
- Take the pan off the heat. Add the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons tahini paste. Stir until blended to the consistency of pancake batter. If your tahini paste has a thicker consistency, you can drizzle a teaspoon or two of water to lighten it.
- Put the chickpeas, 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, 3 green onions, jalapeno pepper and ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro in a salad bowl or mixing bowl. Scrape the tahini mixture out of the skillet onto the salad. Toss everything together.
- Sprinkle the pita chips and ½ cup feta cheese over the salad. Toss gently and serve.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- Add-ins: Personalize your salad by adding 1/2 cup of chopped cucumber and a few handfuls of baby greens such as spinach or arugula.
- Keep the salad in the refrigerator 3-4 days. You may want to leave the chips out until serving so they don’t become soggy.
- Homemade pita chips: Slice pita breads into triangle shapes. Toss with enough olive oil to coat and arrange in a layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 400F until golden and crisp, 5-7 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.
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this was so good and easy i definitely will be making it all the time! (oh and i used halloumi instead of feta!
Ooooooh – I love halloumi!