Straightforward Mediterranean Salad – Slender Kitchen

This simple Mediterranean Salad is made with a vibrant mixture of contemporary veggies, herbs, chickpeas, and feta cheese, all tossed in a flavorful do-it-yourself French dressing.

Serve it by itself or pair it together with your favourite protein for the proper wholesome aspect dish, lunch, or dinner.

Mediterranean delicacies is all about shiny colours and contemporary flavors. From gyros to falafel and every thing in between, I’ve at all times completely beloved every thing concerning the meals from this a part of the world.

As a lot as I get pleasure from eating out, you’ll be able to simply make your individual variations of those dishes at house as I’ve executed with this tremendous easy salad.

The beauty of this Meditteranean Salad is that it’s loaded with contemporary veggies, herbs, tangy feta cheese. It covers all of the bases in the case of diet – protein, fiber, wholesome fat, and many veggies. 

You may meal prep a big batch of this dish to get pleasure from as a wholesome lunch. Or serve up a giant bowl for dinner alongside grilled chicken or fish. Or flip it right into a wholesome grain bowl, like these simple Mediterranean Bowls. 

Whether or not you’re internet hosting a yard barbecue or serving dinner for the household, this flavorful chickpea salad makes the proper addition to any meal.

Key Elements and Straightforward Swaps

To deliver this flavorful salad to life, you will want the next key components:

• Chickpeas: Full of an abundance of protein and fiber, chickpeas are a staple in Mediterranean delicacies. In case you aren’t a fan of garbanzo beans, swap in white beans, 
• Veggies: You will have Persian cucumbers, pink and inexperienced bell peppers, and pink onions for this recipe. All of them add a ton of taste, attractive colours, and a pleasant crunch. Different choices embody celery, slice cabbage, carrots, or inexperienced beans. 
• Kalamata olives: These salty little fruits (sure, they’re fruits!) add a depth of richness that completely balances out the contemporary flavors on this salad. Be happy to swap in one other olive when you like.
• Parsley: Contemporary herbs add a ton of shiny and delightful taste to this dish. In case you don’t have parsley, you need to use one other contemporary herb like dill, mint, or cilantro.
• Feta cheese: This tangy cheese provides nice taste and a creamy texture to the salad. It can be swapped out for goat cheese if wanted.
• Olive oil: Loaded with heart-healthy fat, we use additional virgin olive oil as the bottom of our do-it-yourself French dressing.
• Purple wine vinegar: That is a necessary a part of our do-it-yourself French dressing that provides acidity to the dish, which brightens up the remainder of our salad components.

Recipe Variations and Concepts

Listed here are a few of my favourite methods to change up this dish:

• Add a protein supply. Whereas this dish is scrumptious and nutrient-rich by itself, you’ll be able to beef it up by including your favourite lean protein supply. A few of my high decisions embody grilled chicken, salmon, and shrimp.
• Use a distinct herb. Contemporary herbs are the important thing to including tons of scrumptious taste, however you don’t at all times have to make use of parsley. Attempt switching it up with one other contemporary herb like dill, cilantro, or mint. Any of those would work nicely on this salad.
• Swap up the veggies. If in case you have any greens in your fridge that should be used up, be happy to toss them into this salad. Some choices you possibly can use embody tomatoes, arugula, spinach, carrots, inexperienced onions, and shallots.
• Swap out the dressing. I wish to whip up a easy French dressing to pair with this salad, however you possibly can add Greek yogurt or dijon mustard to make it a creamier dressing. You may additionally use your favourite store-bought Greek salad dressing or make this homemade creamy dressing.
• Add nuts or seeds. To make this salad much more filling and add wholesome fat or omega-3s, strive including some nuts or seeds like almonds, pumpkin seeds, or hemp seeds.
• Make it a pasta salad. This dish works nice as a pasta salad too, so be happy to bulk it up together with your favourite kind of pasta! My high decisions are penne and orzo.

What to Serve With This Dish

Straightforward Mediterranean Salad makes for a beautiful simple lunch all by itself, however for a dinner with the household or a gathering with buddies, there are tons of scrumptious dishes you’ll be able to pair it with.

Listed here are a few of my favourite dishes to get pleasure from it with:

Learn how to Retailer Mediterranean Salad

In case you wind up with leftovers of this tasty salad, you’re in luck! It shops extremely nicely and really develops much more taste after a day or two.

To retailer this dish, merely switch it to an hermetic container and preserve it within the fridge for as much as 5 days.

If in case you have additional dressing that you just haven’t used within the salad, you’ll be able to retailer it individually in a glass jar within the fridge for as much as 10 days.

Regularly Requested Questions

Under you’ll discover solutions to a number of the most continuously requested questions on this dish:

Can I add protein to this salad?

Whereas chickpeas are full of protein, you’ll be able to completely add extra protein to this salad if you wish to. A few of my favourite protein sources to make use of on this dish embody grilled hen, fish, and shrimp.

For a vegetarian choice, strive including tofu or pasta.

Can I take advantage of store-bought salad dressing?

Completely. In case you don’t need to make your individual dressing or don’t have the fitting components, you need to use a store-bought French dressing or Greek salad dressing as a substitute.

What can I take advantage of as a substitute of feta cheese?

In case you don’t have feta cheese or aren’t a fan, you’ll be able to simply substitute it for goat cheese or blue cheese as a substitute. For a dairy-free and vegan choice, be happy to depart out the cheese altogether.

Is Mediterranean salad wholesome?

Sure! This salad is full of contemporary veggies, herbs, and a do-it-yourself French dressing; all of that are full of tons of helpful vitamins.

Extra Wholesome Recipes With Chickpeas

Like this recipe? Attempt these wholesome chickpea recipes subsequent: