If you’ve been looking for a new salad to liven up your weekly lunch routine, I hope you try this Moroccan-spiced chickpea salad. In addition to being filling and a refreshing change of pace from my standard lunch fare, it gives me a super satisfying healthy meal afterglow. Healthy Meal Afterglow: The affirming feeling of complete adult life domination that follows eating a meal that is both ridiculously delicious and ridiculously good for you. Polish off the plate, then give yourself a high five!
The Magical Simplicity of Moroccan Chickpea Salad
When taken separately, the ingredients in this Moroccan Chickpea Salad are nothing out of the ordinary. Once combined, however, they become a meal that could make a salad believer out of even the staunchest skeptic. The stealth flavor-makers in this easy chickpea salad recipe are the chili powder and cinnamon in the dressing. These two spices are a classic pairing in Moroccan cuisine and, happily for our salad purposes, taste outstanding paired with carrots and chickpeas. This brightly flavored Moroccan Chickpea Quinoa Salad is also mighty filling. Both quinoa and chickpeas are high in protein and fiber, meaning a serving of this salad can sustain you through a long afternoon (as can a serving of this equally hearty Crock Pot Moroccan Chicken).
The remaining ingredients play supporting but still critical roles in making this Moroccan Chickpea Salad something you can honestly say you crave. For sweetness and pleasant chewiness, golden raisins are in the building, erm, bowl. (They’re also stellar in this Moroccan Couscous.) For creaminess and saltiness, feta is on scene. For warmth and crunch, toasted nuts represent.
Each component adds a layer of complexity and texture that makes the Moroccan Chickpea Salad taste like a true meal, not simply a pile of vegetables that you eat because you feel like you should. If you don’t have these exact ingredients on hand, you can certainly play around with the recipe based on what you do have and achieve the same OMG WHY CAN I NOT STOP EATING THIS CHICKPEA SALAD effect. My advice is to make sure that you have each component well represented. For example, you could swap dates for golden raisins (sweet and chewy? check!), goat cheese for feta (creaminess accounted for!), or pumpkin seeds for pistachios (warmth and crunch? YEP!).
My final ingredient mention is arugula. I selected this green because its bold, peppery flavor can hold its own with the other ingredient players. If you’d like your Moroccan Chickpea Salad to be more mild-mannered (or don’t share my affinity for mass amounts of greens), feel free to use a lesser amount or do a blend of arugula and spinach. You can also check out this recipe for Mediterranean Chickpea Salad, which uses chopped vegetables instead of greens, or this Chickpea Tuna Salad.
To Make Ahead
If you’ll be enjoying this salad over the course of a few meals, I recommend storing the chickpea, quinoa, and carrot mixture separately from the arugula so that the arugula doesn’t become sad and wilty. Stir in the arugula serving by serving as you go. (It will be fine in mixed in a container for a few hours if you’d like to pack it in the morning for lunch.)
More Easy Salad Recipes
Quinoa Chickpea Salad Sweet Potato Salad with Bacon Italian Farro Salad Avocado Couscous Grapefruit Salad
