Recipe for roasted chickpea salad with creamy tahini dressing {vegetarian, gluten-free}

HERE'S THE THING: I love hummus -- the creamy, garlicky, nutty Middle Eastern spread made with chickpeas and tahini -- but I don't really love chickpeas. It's got to be a texture issue because, well... I love hummus. So, a couple of weeks ago I had the idea to take hummus apart and put it back together, to see if I could combine all of the flavors I love in a dish that would help me love chickpeas, and what I created was this simple salad. Roasting the chickpeas gave them just enough crunch to change the texture but not the flavor, and all the remaining components of hummus went into the dressing. I added some crisp chopped iceberg lettuce, which seemed perfect. You could keep going and pile on more fixings like olives, tomatoes and cucumber, to make a main course salad.

Roasted chickpea salad with creamy tahini dressing

From the pantry, you'll need: chickpeas, lemon, tahini, sweet paprika, Greek yogurt, garlic, cumin, kosher salt, extra virgin olive oil.

Serves 4 or more.

Ingredients

2 15-oz cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh black pepper
1-2 tsps extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup tahini
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp plain nonfat Greek yogurt (can omit for vegan)
1/4 cup water
1/2 to 1 cup shredded crisp lettuce, for serving
Sweet paprika, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Spread the chickpeas on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and drizzle the olive oil on top. Shake the pan to distribute the oil among all of the chickpeas. Roast, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Remove the pan and set aside while you make the dressing.

In a blender, combine the tahini, lemon juice, cumin, garlic, yogurt and water. Whiz until smooth. Taste, and add salt and pepper to your liking.

Place the chopped lettuce in a bowl, and top with the roasted chickpeas. Pour on the dressing, just as much as you like. Garnish with a dusting of paprika.

Serve at room temperature or chilled.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More chickpeas, not mashed up in hummus:
Vegan squash or pumpkin stew with chickpeas and carrots
Roasted chickpeas with raisins, parsley and mint
Chickpea, quinoa and spinach salad with preserved lemon vinaigrette
Chickpea falafel
Chickpeas with sausage and peppers

Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Lentil and chickpea salad with feta and tahini, from Smitten Kitchen
Colleen's chickpea burgers with tahini sauce, from FatFree Vegan Kitchen
Arugula chickpea salad with feta and balsamic-tahini vinaigrette, from Kalyn's Kitchen
Stir-fried chickpeas and asparagus with brown rice and lemon tahini dressing, from Dinner With Julie
Warm butternut squash and chickpea salad with tahini, from Mostly Foodstuffs

Need more ideas to turn your same-old salad into exciting salad? Get Dress Up Your Salad, my e-book packed with easy mix-and-match recipes, full-color photos and a few fun videos. Fantastic salad recipes can be just one click away, on any computer, tablet or smart phone, with the FREE Kindle Reading app. Click here to learn more.

Roasted chickpea salad with creamy tahini dressing

From the pantry, you'll need: chickpeas, lemon, tahini, sweet paprika, Greek yogurt, garlic, cumin, kosher salt, extra virgin olive oil.

Serves 4 or more.

Ingredients

2 15-oz cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh black pepper
1-2 tsps extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup tahini
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp plain nonfat Greek yogurt (can omit for vegan)
1/4 cup water
1/2 to 1 cup shredded crisp lettuce, for serving
Sweet paprika, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Spread the chickpeas on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and drizzle the olive oil on top. Shake the pan to distribute the oil among all of the chickpeas. Roast, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Remove the pan and set aside while you make the dressing.

In a blender, combine the tahini, lemon juice, cumin, garlic, yogurt and water. Whiz until smooth. Taste, and add salt and pepper to your liking.

Place the chopped lettuce in a bowl, and top with the roasted chickpeas. Pour on the dressing, just as much as you like. Garnish with a dusting of paprika.

Serve at room temperature or chilled.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More chickpeas, not mashed up in hummus:
Vegan squash or pumpkin stew with chickpeas and carrots
Roasted chickpeas with raisins, parsley and mint
Chickpea, quinoa and spinach salad with preserved lemon vinaigrette
Chickpea falafel
Chickpeas with sausage and peppers

Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Lentil and chickpea salad with feta and tahini, from Smitten Kitchen
Colleen's chickpea burgers with tahini sauce, from FatFree Vegan Kitchen
Arugula chickpea salad with feta and balsamic-tahini vinaigrette, from Kalyn's Kitchen
Stir-fried chickpeas and asparagus with brown rice and lemon tahini dressing, from Dinner With Julie
Warm butternut squash and chickpea salad with tahini, from Mostly Foodstuffs

Need more ideas to turn your same-old salad into exciting salad? Get Dress Up Your Salad, my e-book packed with easy mix-and-match recipes, full-color photos and a few fun videos. Fantastic salad recipes can be just one click away, on any computer, tablet or smart phone, with the FREE Kindle Reading app. Click here to learn more.

Comments

Love, love, love this salad!

No issues with chickpeas, but this looks like a good way to tweak them. This dressing, the chickpeas, and we're on our way to a full meal. Time for ripe tomatoes and cukes!
I also loved the roasted veg with buttermilk-tahini dressing... either way, they appeal as a 'clean out the fridge' base worth repeating.

Kalyn, the slight change in texture really works for me!

Susan, sometimes I really don't understand the concept of deconstructing a recipe, but in this case, I get it. In the summer, with some ripe tomatoes, crispy cucumbers, maybe some olives, this will be a main course salad on my table.

I love all things chickpeas except for chickpea flour! LOL This recipe is right up my alley, Lydia. Pinned and tweeted.

Shirley, thanks. Funny how the texture of things affects the taste, isn't it?

Love how you're always trying to find ways to like foods Lydia, whether it's something you didn't used to like or just in another form like chickpeas. Just made a batch of chickpeas - I love them fresh made best.

Jeanette, thanks for that. There isn't much I've totally given up on, especially in the vegetable and legume area.