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You are here: Home / Salad / Quinoa Chickpea Tabbouleh Salad

Quinoa Chickpea Tabbouleh Salad

May 17, 2018 By Spices in My DNA 2 Comments

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This Quinoa Chickpea Tabbouleh Salad is made with all the ingredients of a traditional tabbouleh, but made with quinoa instead, and with chickpeas for extra protein! The dressing is a super simple mixture of lemon juice, garlic, spices, and olive oil, and the salad keeps great in the fridge for several days!

Overhead shot of two bowls of quinoa chickpea salad topped with sliced cucumbers, tomato, and lemon, with a fork sticking out, and a small bowl of dressing off to the side
Something I absolutely LOVE is making easy, healthy salads that can be kept in the fridge to eat all week for lunch and/or sides. It makes life so much easier. And more delicious! Especially when quinoa chickpea tabbouleh is involved with tons of fresh herbs, crunchy veggies, and a garlicky lemon herb dressing. What more could you want?! 😍

Overhead shot of a bowl of quinoa chickpea salad with another bowl peeking out in the left hand corner, and a bowl of sliced tomatoes in the top right corner

To me, there’s no substitution for fresh herbs, beautiful produce, and a super flavorful homemade dressing. I know I probably sound like a broken record, but the most simple and fresh ingredients create the most amazing and delicious things!

Overhead shot of a bowl of chickpeas, diced tomato, cucumber, parsley, and red onion, with two lemon wedges off to the side
Overhead close up shot of a mixing bowl of quinoa, chickpeas, diced cucumber, tomato, and red onion, and parsley with a spoon stirring it

Everything gets mixed in one bowl, which means less dishes for us!

And you can even store it in the same container you mixed it in. I’m serious. I’m all about ease here.

Who else sometimes gets to 1 or 2pm on a super busy day and is hangry in the worst way, and doesn’t feel like cooking an elaborate lunch, let alone assembling a salad from start to finish? Well that’s where this salad comes in.

Overhead shot of two bowls of quinoa chickpea salad topped with sliced cucumbers, tomato, and lemon, with a golf fork and spoon sticking out, and a small bowl of dressing off to the side

I can’t tell you how many times this bowl of goodness (or some version of it) has saved me on those busy days. I love being able to go into the fridge, put it in a bowl, and EAT!

Or just eat it straight from the container, if we’re being serious.

I often make some sort of grain salad on the weekends to have ready for the week with fresh veggies, farro/quinoa/brown rice and a simple vinaigrette. And usually some kind of cheese like feta or mozz and chopped nuts! Because I am someone who neeeeds texture in their food.

Overhead shot of bowls of chickpeas, red onion, quinoa, shopped parsley, diced cucumber, and salad dressing, with a bunch of vine ripe tomatoes in the bottom right of the frame

So you can totally get crazy with the ingredients here. Even though this is my tabbouleh version, this recipe is totally a vehicle for whatever your heart desires, and you can sub whatever grains that you love, and add feta and/or chopped pistachios (just an idea..that combo is my favorite!).

Overhead shot of a bowl of quinoa chickpea salad with another bowl peeking out in the left hand corner, and a bowl of sliced tomatoes in the top right corner

With summer coming, I am totally craving all of the fresh, lemony, and herby flavors. This hits that craving right on the head.

I used an ENTIRE bunch of parsley in this salad, and fresh mint and basil too! The dressing has the juice of two lemons, some Italian seasonings, fresh garlic, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and extra virgin olive oil. SO GOOD. And so simple! That dressing is one of my go-to’s to keep in the fridge.

Also, who else finds most store-bought dressings completely unappetizing? Most of them seriously taste like plastic or something artificial to me. And it’s so incredibly easy to make them at home and they’re SO much better!!

Overhead shot of a bowl of quinoa chickpea salad with sliced cucumbers and tomatoes on top, and two thin slices of lemon, with a gold spoon drizzling dressing over the salad

So perfect for meal prep.

And this is another one of my favorite meal prep salads! It’s super springy/summery!

Overhead shot of two bowls of quinoa chickpea salad topped with sliced cucumbers, tomato, and lemon, with a fork sticking out, and a small bowl of dressing off to the side
Print

Quinoa Chickpea Tabbouleh Salad

This Quinoa Chickpea Tabbouleh Salad is made with all the ingredients of a traditional tabbouleh, but made with quinoa instead, and with chickpeas for extra protein! The dressing is a super simple mixture of lemon juice, garlic, spices, and olive oil, and the salad keeps great in the fridge for several days!

Course Main, Salad, Side
Cuisine Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Meatless, Vegetarian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4
Author Molly | Spices in My DNA

Ingredients

For the salad

  • 3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed
  • 1 1/4 cups water
  • 1 (15.5 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 3/4 cups diced seedless cucumber
  • 1/3 cup finely diced red onion
  • 1 bunch flat leaf Italian parsley, chopped
  • 1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
  • 2 vine ripe tomatoes, diced

For the dressing

  • juice of 2 lemons
  • 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
  • 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Make the quinoa. Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Once boiling, add the quinoa, stir, and cover. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 15-18 minutes or until quinoa is fluffy and has absorbed all liquid. Set aside to cool.

  2. While quinoa is cooking, make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, garlic, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

  3. Once quinoa has cooled, assemble the salad. In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, chickpeas, cucumber, red onion, parsley, mint, basil, and diced tomatoes. Stir to combine. Add desired amount of dressing (you likely won't use all of it) and stir again to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

*Salad will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge. If you feel like it needs some "freshening up" after a few days, add an extra handful of chopped fresh parsley, basil, and/or mint!

*I love adding crumbled feta, and/or roasted, salted chopped pistachios to this salad!

*Feel free to switch up the grains here too. This salad would be delicious with farro, brown rice, lentils, or bulgur like traditional tabbouleh!

Overhead shot of two bowls of quinoa chickpea salad topped with sliced cucumbers, tomato, and lemon, with a small bowl of dressing off to the side

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Filed Under: Clean Eats, Main Course Recipes, Salad, Sides Tagged With: chickpeas, dairy free, gluten free, healthy, meal prep, meatless, quinoa, salad, tabbouleh, tabbouli, vegetarian

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Melissa Griffiths

    May 17, 2018 at 9:39 pm

    I love salads like this one – this one looks so yummy!

    Reply
    • Spices in My DNA

      May 18, 2018 at 10:52 am

      Thanks so much Melissa!

      Reply

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Welcome! I'm so happy you're here. This is the space where I share healthy recipes with a sprinkle of indulgence mixed in! I’m wildly passionate about food, and I grew up in a family of foodies. I was surrounded by it from an early age and immediately fell in love. I love to share super flavorful, unique, and healthy recipes, as well as indulgent, comforting meals we all need from time to time!

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