Easy Chickpea Arugula Salad with Creamy Tahini Dressing

Toss chickpeas with arugula, veggies, and this creamy tahini dressing for an easy, delicious, and satisfying salad perfect to eat as a main meal or serve alongside your favorite barbecue!

Don’t have an ingredient? This recipe adapts easily to the ingredients you have on hand.

Chickpeas bring texture and heartiness to any dish and make a great substitute for traditional meats. I’ve been utilizing chickpeas a lot for tacos, salads, hummus, and snacks. Pantry friendly, budget friendly, and diet friendly…I’m on a mission to learn as many ways to use chickpeas, as possible!

Chickpea Tiki Masala…the tastiest vegetarian family meal in under 30 minutes!

The dressing is easy to make and easy to adapt. Simply use equal parts olive oil and tahini. Then equal parts ice water and lemon juice at about 1/4 of the amount of tahini and oil you use. So, 1 tablespoon water for 1/4 cup oil. 2 tablespoons water for 1/2 cup oil. 4 tablespoons water for 1 cup oil.

What is tahini?

Sesame seeds are ground into a paste creating…tahini. That’s why tahini has such a wonderful nutty flavor, it’s literally made of nuts!

Is tahini good for you?

Heck yes! Tahini contains more protein than milk and more than most nuts. For those that are dairy free (like me), tahini provides an excellent source of protein and vitamin B that many get from their dairy products. –> tahini IS made from nuts. So those that have nut allergies obviously need to be careful!

Don’t have tahini? Use peanut butter. The nuttiness and texture creates a similar taste and feel.

To that, add a bit of salt & pepper and a sweetener. Honey, maple syrup, agave nectar, and simple syrup are all good options. I wouldn’t recommend using sugar because the granules won’t mix in well and gives you a grainy texture.

easy Creamy Tahini Dressing

| 6 servings

Prep Time | 5 minutes mins

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A creamy and easy dressing full of nutty flavor from the tahini and a nice bright end from the lemon. Use it for everything!

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon ice water
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt add more according to taste
• 1 tablespoon honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar

Check out our Kitchen Reference Guide for help with unfamiliar terms.

Nutrition

Calories: 151kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 2gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 198mgPotassium: 46mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 14mgIron: 1mg

Chickepea Salad

| 4 servings

Prep Time | 10 minutes mins

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A fast, vegetarian salad featuring arugula, chickpeas, and feta cheese. Perfect for summer evenings!

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• 5 oz arugula or mixed greens
• 1/4 cup diced cucumber
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced white onion
• 1/4 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 4 oz pkg crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tbsp fresh oregano, thyme, or parsley
• 1/2 14oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained for an extra special touch: roast the chickpeas with a bit of olive oil and salt at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Check out our Kitchen Reference Guide for help with unfamiliar terms.

Instructions

• Mix all the ingredients together and serve.

Notes

These nutrition facts do not include the tahini dressing. 

 

NOTE: serving size is if used as a side salad. 

For a main course we suggest that you plan on serving only 2 people.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 178kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 10gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 332mgPotassium: 370mgFiber: 6gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1062IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 261mgIron: 3mg

We LIVE on salads in the summer! I have a giant collection of some of my favorite salads that we use as main dishes…

NO COOK MAIN DISH SALADS ||Over 50 great salad recipes here!