Chickpea and Kale Salad

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Keyword chickpea and kale salad, kale salad, kale salad dressing

Prep Time 35

Cook Time 20

Servings

Calories 396kcal

Author Lindsay Moe

Ingredients

15 ounces canned chickpeas garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons olive oil plus a little extra for the kale
1 tablespoon pressed garlic
Coarse kosher salt
1 head kale about 5 cups, stems removed and roughly chopped
2-3 carrots julienned or shredded
4 ounces sun dried tomatoes in oil chopped, oil reserved
6 ounces crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
1-2 avocados sliced

Sun Dried Tomato Dressing

5 tablespoons oil from the jar of sun dried tomatoes, or olive oil if you don’t have enough
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons raw honey
Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
Place the rinsed and drained chickpeas on a clean kitchen towel and pat dry.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large cast iron or other oven safe skillet over medium heat.
Once the oil is hot add the chickpeas and 1 tablespoon pressed garlic. Shake the pan so everything sits in a single layer and transfer to the hot oven. Let cook, stirring once or twice, until brown and crisp, about 20 minutes.
While the chickpeas are cooking, prepare the vinaigrette and the rest of the salad.
Place all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl or mason jar and stir or shake until combined. I always eyeball the spices, but I recommend starting with ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes and adding more to taste.
Place the kale in a large bowl and add a few drops of olive oil. Using clean hands, massage the kale for a few minutes until dark and softened.
Add the carrots, sun dried tomatoes, feta, dill, and chives. Toss to combine.
When the chickpeas are done, add them to the salad along with half the dressing and toss again.
Serve the salad topped with sliced avocado and extra dressing if desired.

Notes

While the ribs and stems of kale are technically edible, they don’t have the best texture. They’re easy to remove by cutting around them, or I’ll often just hold a piece by the stem and slide my other hand from bottom to top to remove the softer parts of the leaves.

I like to use my Deiss julienne peeler to create easy carrot strands for salads. If you don’t own a tool like this you could cut the carrots into coins with a large knife, or shred them on the large holes of a box grater.

Tips for customizing kale salad

Swap the feta for goat cheese
If you don’t have dill, try fresh basil or parsley
Season the chickpeas with your favorite seasoning mix such as lemon pepper
Swap the chickpeas for toasted pine nuts
Instead of the homemade dressing, try a store bought Italian dressing, red wine vinaigrette, or balsamic vinaigrette
Meat eaters can add cooked chicken, shrimp, or salmon

Nutrition