This Mediterranean Kale Salad is made with fresh baby kale, crisp vegetables and protein-rich chickpeas. Dressed in a vibrant lemon garlic dressing, it's perfect for busy days when you want a fresh salad made with a handful of ingredients.
This kale chickpea salad recipe is healthy, filling and low in calories. It's full of Mediterranean flavors and just like this Chickpea Broccoli Salad, it makes a great lunch to bring to work and is perfect as a main dish when wanting a light meal.
Baby kale is excellent for eating raw in salads, for making smoothies and pesto. It's also delicious in soups and can be cooked in the same way as many other greens.
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How to Make it
This kale chickpea salad is made with tender baby kale. Baby kale leaves are harvested from young kale plants and have a milder flavor. And since the leaves are tender, there’s no need to tenderize the kale by massaging or marinating it before making the salad.
Ingredients Overview
- Raw kale: I like to use baby kale. You can also make this salad with regular lettuce (romaine lettuce or mixed salad greens).
- Chickpeas: For convenience, I use canned chickpeas. Simply drain and rinse them.
- Tomato
- Cucumber
- Radishes
- Red onion
- Goat cheese: Feta cheese is also delicious, if you don't have either, you can add shavings of parmesan cheese.
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Fresh lemon juice
- Garlic clove
- Salt, pepper, dried oregano
- Sumac: This ingredient is optional, but if you have any in your pantry, you'll find that a pinch of sumac adds a great citrusy kick.
Steps Overview
- Wash and dry the kale and then add it to a large bowl. You can prep the kale ahead by rinsing and drying it in a salad spinner or by using paper towels to absorb the water from the greens.
- Top kale with chickpeas, chopped vegetables and crumbled goat cheese.
- To make the lemon garlic dressing, add the ingredients to a small jar, seal and shake well to combine.
- Add some of the dressing to the salad bowl and toss gently to combine. Taste and adjust the amount of salad dressing to your liking. Serve immediately.
Serving Suggestions
This garbanzo bean kale salad is perfect served as a main for lunch or side for dinner.
It goes wonderfully with fish dishes like this Pistachio Crusted Salmon and this Baked Rainbow Trout Fillet. It's also a great accompaniment to a rotisserie chicken.
Storing Salad Dressing
Homemade salad dressings always taste better than store-bought and this lemon garlic dressing has tons of flavor.
Store any leftover salad dressing in a sealed mason jar or an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Remove the dressing from the refrigerator about 15 to 20 minutes before using and shake well before dressing the salad.
Enjoy!
More Mediterranean Recipes
- Muhammara (Roasted Red Pepper Dip)
- Fattoush Salad
- Greek Salad with Grilled Chicken
- Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
- Baked Rainbow Trout Fillets with Roasted Broccoli
Mediterranean Kale Salad with Chickpeas Recipe
Ingredients
Mediterranean Kale Salad
- 5 cups baby kale washed and dried
- 1 cup chickpeas garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup chopped tomato
- ½ cup chopped cucumber
- 6 sliced radishes
- ¼ cup chopped red onion
- ⅓ cup goat cheese, crumbled
Lemon Garlic Dressing
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ teaspoon sumac optional
Instructions
Lemon Garlic Dressing
- Add the extra-virgin olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, minced garlic, oregano, salt, pepper and sumac (optional) to a jar and shake well. Reserve or refrigerate if not using right away. This will be more dressing than you'll need for this salad, you can store the rest in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Mediterranean Kale Salad
- Add the washed and dried baby kale to a salad bowl. Top with chickpeas, chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, onions and crumbled goat cheese.
- Add some of the dressing and toss gently to combine. Taste to adjust amount of salad dressing. Serve immediately with more salad dressing on the side.
Notes
- Leftover salad dressing can be stored in a sealed mason jar in the refrigerator for up to a week.
fitoru says
Healthy and at the same time delicious. This one is a really must try. And what's best is this is very easy to prep.
Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed this kale salad!
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
I'm with you when it comes to using baby kale, tender and milder than full grown kale leaves. Your salad looks terrific.
Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says
Thanks so much Karen. Yes I'm really enjoying baby kale, it's so versatile, great in salads and delicious sautéed.