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Chickpea, Cucumber & Tomato Power Salad
Recipe

Chickpea, Cucumber & Tomato Power Salad

Main • South Africa

This everyday-friendly chickpea salad mixes crisp cucumber, juicy tomatoes and red onion with a simple lemon-olive dressing. Serve as a light main or pack for lunch.

Why smarter

Chickpeas add filling protein and fibre, while the dressing keeps it bright and lighter by relying on lemon, vinegar and a modest amount of oil. Feta is used sparingly for flavour.

Chef tip

If you have time, let the salad stand for 10 minutes after mixing so the onion softens and the chickpeas pick up the dressing.

Soft line

Fresh, zesty and properly filling.

Ingredients

# Ingredient Text Amount Unit Ingredient Name Notes
1 Chickpeas, drained and rinsed 2.000 cans (410 g each) Canned chickpeas Drain and rinse well
2 Cucumber, diced 1.000 large Cucumber About 300 g
3 Tomatoes, chopped 3.000 medium Tomatoes Or use 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
4 Red onion, finely sliced 0.500 medium Red onion Soak briefly in cold water if very sharp
5 Baby spinach leaves (or rocket), roughly chopped 3.000 cups Baby spinach Packed cups
6 Feta, crumbled 100.000 g Feta Optional but recommended
7 Fresh parsley, chopped 0.250 cup Parsley Or coriander
8 Lemon juice 3.000 tbsp Lemon juice Fresh is best
9 Red wine vinegar (or white wine vinegar) 1.000 tbsp Vinegar
10 Extra-virgin olive oil 2.000 tbsp Olive oil
11 Dijon mustard 1.000 tsp Dijon mustard Helps emulsify the dressing
12 Ground cumin 0.500 tsp Ground cumin Optional, adds warmth
13 Salt 0.250 tsp Salt Adjust to taste (feta is salty)
14 Black pepper 0.250 tsp Black pepper To taste

Method

  1. Drain and rinse the chickpeas well, then shake off excess water.
  2. Dice the cucumber, chop the tomatoes, and thinly slice the red onion.
  3. In a small bowl or jar, whisk/shake together lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, cumin (if using), salt and black pepper.
  4. In a large bowl, combine chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes and red onion.
  5. Pour over the dressing and toss well to coat.
  6. Fold in the baby spinach and chopped parsley.
  7. Sprinkle over the feta and gently toss once more.
  8. Taste and adjust with extra lemon, pepper, or a pinch of salt if needed. Serve straight away, or rest 10 minutes for best flavour.