Chickpea Salad With Avocado and Quinoa
This Chickpea Salad with Avocado and Quinoa is all about simplicity and nutrition. Made with wholesome ingredients like creamy avocado, protein-rich chickpeas, fluffy quinoa, and fresh veggies. Tossed in a light lemon and avocado oil dressing, this salad comes together effortlessly. It's perfect for a filling lunch, a refreshing side, or a light, nutrient-packed dinner.
Servings: 6 as a side and 4 as a main
Calories: 216kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked quinoa cooled
- ½ English cucumber or two smaller cucumbers, diced
- ¼ red onion thinly sliced or finely diced
- 1 bell pepper use a mix of colors for brightness
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
- 1 cup arugula rinsed and patted dry
- 1.5 cups canned chickpeas drained and rinsed
- ½ cup crumbled feta
- 1 ripe avocado diced
- ½ lemon juice of
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- ½ teaspon salt or to taste
Instructions
Cook and cool the quinoa
- Prepare the quinoa according to package instructions. Once cooked, fluff it with a fork and let it cool completely.1 cup cooked quinoa
Build the salad
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cucumber, red onion, bell pepper, cilantro, arugula, chickpeas and the feta.½ English cucumber, ¼ red onion, 1 bell pepper, ½ cup cilantro, 1 cup arugula, 1.5 cups canned chickpeas, ½ cup crumbled feta
Add avocado and dressing
- Gently fold in the diced avocado. Then drizzle the lemon juice and avocado oil directly over the salad. Start with a light sprinkle of salt and toss everything together carefully.1 ripe avocado, ½ lemon, 2 tablespoons avocado oil, ½ teaspon salt
Taste and adjust
- Taste the salad and add more lemon juice or salt as needed, keeping in mind that feta adds a salty punch as well.
Notes
- Let the quinoa cool before mixing it in the salad. This helps prevent the avocado and feta from turning mushy.
- Use ripe but firm avocados so they hold their shape when tossed.
- Dice everything small and even for the best texture in every bite.
- This salad holds up really well for meal prep. Just wait to add the avocado until you're ready to eat, or toss it with a bit of lemon juice to help prevent browning.
- Start light on the salt and lemon, then adjust once everything is mixed. Feta can be salty on its own.
- If you’re tossing in nuts or seeds (like pine nuts or slivered almonds), add them at the end to keep them crisp.
Nutrition
Calories: 216kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 296mg | Potassium: 399mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 928IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 100mg | Iron: 2mg