Chickpea Cucumber Salad (Print version)

Crisp Mediterranean chickpea and cucumber salad with herby lemon dressing, ready in 15 minutes.

# What you'll need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 1½ cups canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
02 - 1 large cucumber, diced
03 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
04 - ¼ red onion, finely chopped
05 - ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

→ Dressing

06 - 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
07 - 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
08 - 1 clove garlic, minced
09 - ½ tsp salt
10 - ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

# How to make it:

01 - In a large bowl, combine chickpeas, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and parsley.
02 - In a small bowl or jar, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, salt, and pepper until well combined.
03 - Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently to coat all ingredients evenly.
04 - Adjust seasoning to taste. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

# Expert suggestions:

01 -
  • No cooking required means its ready in under 15 minutes, perfect for those days when you want something homemade but do not want to heat up the kitchen
  • The dressing gets better as it sits, so this is actually one of those rare salads that tastes even better the next day for lunch
02 -
  • The salad releases water as it sits, so if you are making it ahead, do not add all the dressing at once or save a little to refresh right before serving
  • Chickpeas absorb dressing quickly, so if you are planning to serve this several hours later, the chickpeas might need a splash more lemon juice to brighten them back up
03 -
  • If the cucumber seeds are large and watery, scoop them out with a spoon before dicing to keep the salad from getting too soggy
  • Massaging the chickpeas gently with a little olive oil and salt before adding them makes them creamier and more receptive to the dressing

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