Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

Name: Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: Precooked chickpeas (drained weight) 2 ½ cups; Cucumbers 7 oz; Yellow cherry tomatoes 1.3 cups; Cherry tomatoes 0.7 cup; Red onions ½ cup; Arugula 2 ½ cups; Taggiasca olives 1.5 oz; Basil to taste; Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Balsamic vinegar to taste; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste

Difficulty: Very easy
Prep time: 20 min
Serving: 6
Cost: Low
Note + 10 min resting in the fridge

PRESENTATION

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad is built from pantry staples and summer produce—red and yellow cherry tomatoes, crisp cucumber, Taggiasca olives, fresh basil, and pre-cooked chickpeas that need nothing more than draining before they go in the bowl. It holds up well at room temperature, which makes it an easy weekday lunch and one that travels to the office without losing anything.

One small step makes a real difference: soaking the red onion in ice water before adding it mellows the sharpness and makes it noticeably more digestible. Everything else comes together without heat at any stage, so it stays fresh and light even on the hottest days—satisfying enough to stand on its own as a complete vegan meal.

How to prepare Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

To prepare the Mediterranean chickpea salad, first peel the onion 1 and cut it in half lengthwise 2, then slice it very thinly to obtain thin petals 3.

Place the sliced onion in a bowl 4, add the ice 5 and cover with water 6. Let it soak for 10 minutes; this will make it milder.

Meanwhile, prepare the other ingredients: halve the yellow cherry tomatoes 7 and quarter the red ones 8. Peel the cucumbers 9.

Cut them into 4 lengthwise 10, then remove the central seeded part 11. Finally, slice them on the diagonal 12.

Now pour the precooked chickpeas into a large bowl 13, then add the red 14 and yellow 15 cherry tomatoes.

Add the cucumbers 16, the well-drained onions 17 and the basil leaves torn by hand 18.

Season with the balsamic vinegar 19, the olive oil 20, salt and pepper 21.

Mix everything well 22, then let it rest in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Finally, finish with the Taggiasca olives and arugula leaves 23. Your Mediterranean chickpea salad is ready to be served 34!