Chopped Greek Chickpea Salad

This easy and versatile Chopped Greek Chickpea Salad takes less than 20 minutes to make. Full of vibrant Mediterranean flavors, with crunchy bell peppers and cucumbers, briny olives, salty Feta, and a light vinaigrette, you’ll love bringing this to parties or packing it for a healthy lunch!

If you enjoy Mediterranean flavors, this is a recipe you absolutely need in your life. It’s everything that works about a classic Greek salad, but heartier and more versatile, thanks to the addition of a pantry staple: chickpeas.

Headed to a potluck? Having extra guests for dinner? Add this to the menu for a quick, easy, and filling side. Big gathering for a birthday party? Double the recipe, watch it disappear!

Here’s what you’ll need to pull it together.

What’s in a Greek Chickpea Salad?

• Chickpeas, obviously! Also known as garbanzo beans, these pantry MVPs add creamy texture and a mild, nutty flavor. You’ll use one 15 ounce can of them, drained and rinsed.
• Cherry or grape tomatoes. Of course you can swap quartered Roma or heirloom tomatoes, especially when they’re in season.
• Cucumber. English cucumber or Persian cucumbers are best because they are much less watery and have smaller seeds than their standard American cousins, which helps the salad stay fresh.
• Bell pepper – any color.
• Pitted Kalamata olives.
• Feta cheese. Feta packaged in brine has a tangy flavor and creamy texture that is hard for its pre-crumbled sister to replicate, but if you need to buy pre-crumbled for a time-saver, no hate here.
• Red onion and fresh herbs. An optional but nice touch to add at the end.

How to make it

The process of making this could not be simpler.

1. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Set aside to dry slightly.
2. Chop the veggies. You want the cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers to be pretty evenly sized. The olives can go in whole or halved, and the red onion should have a finer chop.
3. Toss it all together! At this point you can refrigerate the mixture for a few hours if you’re working ahead.
4. Make the dressing. This is a 30-second red wine vinaigrette situation that you can shake together in a jar. Don’t skip the oregano—it makes the other flavors sing!
5. Pour on the dressing and add feta and herbs when ready to serve. That’s it!

How to serve it

• For picnics or potlucks. Straight out of the bowl!
• As a dinner-worthy salad. This is light and lovely as-is; add arugula if you want to increase the greens and crunch factor.
• Inside a pita. Warm up a piece of whole wheat pita bread, slice in half, and fill with this chickpea salad for a restaurant-worthy lunch.
• On the side. Serve alongside grilled chicken, shrimp, or lamb burgers. We’ve even been known to enjoy chickpea salad alongside take-out pizza. 😉

How long will it last?

Once the dressing and Feta is added, this salad is best eaten the same day. The next day is alright, too.

If, however, you leave off the dressing and cheese, the salad or portions of it can be kept in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Make it a meal prep

As noted above, if the dressing and cheese is kept separate, this salad keeps well. 

If you want to make lunches for the week, I suggest layering a bit of dressing, then some added arugula or other greens, then the chickpea-veggie mixture, and finally a sprinkling of Feta in a large mason jar.

You can also simply combine the chickpea mixture, any greens, and Feta in meal prep containers, and include individual portions of dressing. Easy!

Either way, if you’re making this as a meal prep, make an extra effort to find and use English or Persian cucumbers, or to remove the seeds. This significantly reduces the watery build-up.

Variations

• Add avocado for extra creamy texture and healthy fats.
• Add quinoa for additional whole grains.
• Use different or more fresh herbs – dill or oregano are both perfection!
• Add zoodles or spiralized sweet potatoes for more texture, flavor, and healthy veg.

More Mediterranean recipes

If you enjoy Mediterranean flavors, you’ll also love this meal-worthy chicken gyro salad with a creamy dill dressing, one-skillet Greek chicken with olives, and a delightful pearl couscous salad with cucumbers and tomatoes.

You can also FOLLOW me on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, and TWITTER for more great recipes and ideas!