"The south of France is home to a great many prime picnic spots, but my favorites lie on the jagged shoreline running from the edge of Marseille to Cassis. Some of les Calanques - craggy, narrow picturesque covers framed by massive limestone cliffs - are more accessible than others, but all are worth the commitment. Once you choose your spot, find people diving off rocks, sunning on the tiny beaches, swimming in the clear, salty Mediterranean. Everyone picnics in one way or another. My way is packing this chickpea salad tossed with a punchy caper-preserved lemon vinaigrette."
- Rebekah Peppler
Welcome to our kitchen!
As a young woman working in the ER and making my way through nursing school, I lived on vegan chickpea salads. Chickpeas are easy to find in any hospital or restaurant salad bar and they're affordable whether you purchase them dried or canned. They're also packed with nutrients and will fill you up.
During this time, I was told by one of my nursing instructors that I had the perfect anatomy for learning about intramuscular hip injections - something that seriously pissed off the personal trainer in our group and made it that much funnier. On that particular day, I ended up spending a couple of hours in a hospital bed getting felt up by nursing students who were learning how to give IM injections.
I'm not going to say it's purely the result of my diet, but I will say this chickpea's hips don't lie.
This salad is the best vegan chickpea salad recipe I've ever tried and the kids like it too. Grab a free printable recipe with illustrations below.
Learn more about cooking with kids.
If you like this vegan chickpea salad, you'll love pasta e fagioli, stuffed eggplant, zucchini fritters, healthy mashed potatoes, veggie gumbo, vegetarian chili, and stove-popped popcorn.
Jump to:
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Amazon links are not affiliate links. You can read my full affiliate disclosure.
Le Sud Cookbook
This vegan chickpea salad recipe comes from Le Sud: Recipes from Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur by Rebekah Peppler.
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur cooking is country cooking and city cooking and seaside cooking and mountain cooking and river cooking. And like so many regions where landscapes happily crash into each other in this way, the food is dynamic, it's exciting, it's new and it's old, and maybe needless to say at this point, all things considered - it's very worth writing a book about.
- Rebekah Peppler
related recipe!
Authentic Ratatouille
Whether it's love at first sight or love at first bite, this ratatouille is time well spent.
Family & Kids Cooking Resources
Beautiful & diverse cooking resources for you!
Food from Around the World: Free Cooking Lessons
Learn from some of the most talented chefs around the world!
Free Cooking Course for Families
Discover recipes for every continent! Sign up to receive free cooking lessons for the whole family. Learn from some of the most talented chefs around the world and participate in the quality practical life experiences Montessori education is known for.
Find out more about the cooking course.
Top Tip
If possible, allow kids to taste-test the mixed olives for the recipe. Olives can taste very different from one another. I know my kids had useful feedback that affected the variety of olives we used.
How to Make Vegan Chickpea Salad
Ingredients
- shallots
- garlic - grate the garlic with a microplane or box grater
- vinegar - red wine vinegar is preferred for this vegan chickpea salad but you can also use sherry
- lemon juice
- hot sauce (optional) - add some heat to make it more exciting
- salt - fine sea salt is preferred but you can use what you have on hand
- mustard - grab the Dijon mustard for this salad
- honey - lavender honey is recommended; we like this Ioway Bee Farm honey
- oil - extra-virgin olive oil is recommended
- capers - salted capers, soaked, rinsed, and drained
- lemons - if you don't have 3 weeks to preserve lemons, it's all good. It's still an amazing salad and you could add some additional lemon juice if you like
- olives - mixed green olives, such as Cerignola, Castelvetrano, and Picholine, pitted
- chickpeas - 1 cup of dried chickpeas or 2 15-oz cans, drained
- radishes
- cucumbers - seedless cucumbers are preferred
- pepper - black pepper to taste
- onion - 1 yellow onion is used for making the chickpeas
- bay leaf - we like this bay laurel
- parsley - parsley sprigs are recommended for making these flavorful chickpeas
- cheese rind - Parmigiano-Reggiano rind is used for making the chickpeas but can be omitted if unable to find
Equipment
- Prep Bowls
- Vegetable Brush
- Child-Friendly Knife
- Olive Wood Utility Knife
- Butcher Block
- Measuring Spoons
- Measuring Cup
- Copper Saucier
- Large Wooden Spoon
- Fine Mesh Strainer
- Kitchen Scale
- Jar with Lid
- Whisk
- Box Grater
Soak the Chickpeas
Wash your hands with soap and water. Use a kitchen scale to weigh the chickpeas needed for the salad. Soak the chickpeas overnight. Drain them when finished. You can skip the chickpea soak but this will add to the cook time.
Cook the Chickpeas
Wash your hands. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan or pot over medium heat. Slice the onion in half crosswise and place in the in the pan cut side down. Cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the chickpeas, parmesan rind, bay leaf, and parsley sprigs. Add enough fresh water to the pan to cover the beans by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add some salt and lower the heat to simmer. Cook the chickpeas until they are tender but still hold their shape, anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 10 more minutes. Turn off the stove. Remove from heat and let the chickpeas cool in the broth. Discard the parmesan rind, onion, bay leaves, and parsley.
Prep the Vegetables for the Vegan Chickpea Salad
Use a knife and cutting board to thinly slice the shallots, radishes, and cucumbers, and chop the preserved Meyer lemons. Grate the garlic using a box grater.
If enjoying this meal with kids, I recommend dicing or halving the olives. Transfer items to individual prep bowls.
Drain the Chickpeas
Drain the chickpeas using a bowl and a fine-mesh strainer. A spider strainer also works. Set the chickpeas aside.
Combine the Shallots, Garlic, Vinegar, and Lemon Juice
In a separate bowl, combine the shallots, garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, and hot sauce (optional). Season lightly with salt. Set aside for 15 minutes to 1 hour.
Whisk in the Mustard and Honey
Use a whisk to stir in the mustard and honey.
Add the Olive Oil
While whisking constantly, add the olive oil in a steady stream until it is emulsified. If you're like me, you've always got your eyes peeled for any action coming your way.
Stir in the Remaining Ingredients
Use a spoon to stir in the capers and preserved lemon. Add the olives, chickpeas, radishes, and cucumbers. Season this vegan chickpea salad with salt and pepper before eating.
free recipe!
Vegan Chickpea Salad
Whether you're navigating the south of France or life's milestones, this salad will keep you going.
Free Simple Chickpea Salad Recipe for Pre-Readers and Up
Grab your free printable recipe cards above. Kids can gather ingredients using the ingredient list, gather their equipment with the tools list, and prepare the meal using the step-by-step recipe cards, with assistance as needed.
The cards are easy to use, include pictures, and encourage confidence and independence in the kitchen. They also make an excellent addition to your Montessori continent box for Europe.
Montessori Continent Boxes
Explore every continent with these solid maple hardwood boxes.
Vegan Chickpea Salad
Equipment
- Vegetable Brush
- Jar with Lid
- Whisk
- Box Grater
Ingredients
For the Chickpeas
- 1 cup dried chickpeas cooked or 2 15-oz cans
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 3-inch Parmigiano-Reggiano rind
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 to 8 sprigs parsley
For the Salad
- 2 shallots thinly sliced
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar or sherry
- ¼ cup lemon juice fresh
- hot sauce optional
- sea salt
- 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey preferably lavendar
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup salted capers soaked, rinsed, and drained
- 2 tablespoon preserved Meyer lemons finely chopped
- 8 oz green olives mixed variety
- 8 to 10 radishes thinly sliced
- 2 cucumbers small, seedless, thinly sliced
- fresh black pepper
Instructions
- Wash your hands with soap and water. Use a kitchen scale to weigh the chickpeas needed for the salad. Soak the chickpeas overnight. Drain them when finished. You can skip the chickpea soak but this will add to the cook time.
- Cook the Chickpeas: Wash your hands. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan or pot over medium heat. Slice the onion in half crosswise and place in the in the pan cut side down. Cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chickpeas, parmesan rind, bay leaf, and parsley sprigs. Add enough fresh water to the pan to cover the beans by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add some salt and lower the heat to simmer. Cook the chickpeas until they are tender but hold still hold their shape, anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 10 more minutes. Turn off the stove. Remove from heat and let the chickpeas cool in the broth. Discard the parmesan rind, onion, bay leaves, and parsley.
- Prep the Vegetables: Use a knife and cutting board to thinly slice the shallots, radishes, and cucumbers, and chop the preserved Meyer lemons. Grate the garlic. If enjoying this meal with kids, I recommend dicing or halving the olives. Transfer items to individual prep bowls.
- Drain the Chickpeas: Drain the chickpeas using a bowl and a fine-mesh strainer. A spider strainer also works. Set the chickpeas aside.
- Combine the Shallots, Garlic, Vinegar, and Lemon Juice: In a separate bowl, combine the shallots, garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, and hot sauce (optional). Season lightly with salt. Set aside for 15 minutes to 1 hour.
- Whisk in the Mustard and Honey: Use a whisk to stir in the mustard and honey.
- Add the Olive Oil: While whisking constantly, add the olive oil in a steady stream until it is emulsified.
- Stir in the Remaining Ingredients: Use a spoon to stir in the capers and preserved lemon. Add the olives, chickpeas, radishes, and cucumbers. Season this vegan chickpea salad with salt and pepper before eating.
Notes
- Gently rub produce under cold running water. Scrub firm produce with a clean vegetable brush under running water
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
- See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
- Chickpea cooking liquid can be refrigerated in a covered container for up to a week and used as a base for soup
- Chickpea salad can be stored in the fridge, tightly covered, for up to 3 days
- Full Lesson Info and Pictures at: https://happyhomeschooladventures.com/vegan-chickpea-salad
Nutrition
Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.
Leave a Reply