This Kale Chickpea Salad is one of those back-pocket recipes that is delicious and adaptable. The creamy lemon, tahini and honey dressing balances out some of the bitterness from the kale. But keep reading, I have a trick to make the kale less bitter! Best of all, it comes together in under 20 minutes.
Serve it as a side at your next potluck or BBQ, add grilled chicken or shrimp to it, or portion it out for meal prep. It works great as a side with my Greek Chicken Souvlaki or my Beef Shish Kebabs.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
- Quick and fuss-free: The dressing comes together right in the serving bowl (fewer dishes!), and everything else just gets chopped and tossed in.
- Seasonal: Kale and herbs are in abundance from spring through early fall, making this a perfect garden-to-table recipe, like many of my other salad recipes.
- Perfectly pairable: Serve it as a light lunch, alongside grilled meats, or part of a mezze spread.
Ingredients
No fancy ingredients needed for this delicious kale chickpea salad. Here is what you’ll need:
- Kale: I love using Lacinato kale, also known as dinosaur kale or Tuscan kale. But you can use any other type of kale if you prefer (red curly kale is nice too). This recipe calls for half a bunch, but you can use more or less depending on how much you like kale. You can also substitute the kale with other leafy greens like romaine lettuce, fresh spinach, or arugula.
- Chickpeas (garbanzo beans): Use canned for ease; just rinse and drain. No need to boil chickpeas from scratch for a recipe like this! Try my Cucumber Chickpea Salad too!
- Cucumbers: I prefer using Persian cucumbers. They are crunchy and refreshing, with a small seed cavity and thin skin. You can use an English cucumber if that’s what you have access to, but you may want to peel it and remove some of the watery seed cavity before chopping. For more cucumber-based recipes, try my Jerusalem Salad, Lebanese Fattoush or Cucumber Radish Feta Salad.
- Tahini: This classic Middle Eastern sesame paste adds creaminess and nuttiness to the dressing. Find it at any Middle Eastern market or well-stocked grocery store.
- Honey: Balances out the bitterness and acidity from the other ingredients. Use maple syrup or agave syrup instead to keep it vegan.
- Feta: I think Greek feta is the only way to go here! It’s creamy, salty and tangy. But if you don’t like feta cheese, you can use another creamy cheese like goat cheese instead. Vegan alternatives are available.
- Fresh Herbs: I love the combination of dill, parsley, and mint. But use what you have on hand.
Refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for a full list of ingredients and quantities.
How to make this Kale Chickpea Feta Salad recipe
A pretty straightforward set of steps. Make sure to follow my kale massaging and rinsing tip!
Step 1. Dressing. Make the creamy tahini dressing directly in your serving bowl. Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, honey, salt, and black pepper until creamy and well combined.
Step 2. Prep the Kale. Strip the kale leaves and discard the tough stems. Chop into bite-sized pieces. Rinse it under cold water in a colander, massaging the leaves vigorously as you go. This helps tenderize the kale, but also washes away some of the bitterness. Set aside to drain. You could also use a salad spinner or paper towels to remove excess water.
Step 3. Assemble the Salad. To the bowl with the dressing, add chopped cucumber, drained chickpeas, crumbled feta, chopped dill, parsley, and the drained kale.
Step 4. Toss. Toss everything together until evenly coated. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Finish with fresh mint leaves and dill fronds as garnish. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Expert Tips
- Massage the raw kale well. It makes all the difference in texture. The kale will be less crunchy and more tender.
- One bowl! Make the dressing in the same bowl to cut down on cleanup. You’ll find that many of my Mediterranean salad recipes are written this way.
- Don’t skimp on the herbs. They bring brightness and depth.
- “Beef” it up with your favorite protein! Add sliced rotisserie chicken, seared shrimp, plant-based protein, or fried tofu to increase the protein per portion. If you have leftover Chicken Shish Tawook or Chicken Shawarma meat, use that!
- Customize it: Add pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sweet potatoes, sliced red onion, cherry tomatoes, red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, or sesame seeds. Make it your own!
- Meal Prep: This is an excellent meal prep recipe. Simply divide the dressing equally in your containers first. Then layer the ingredients as you like. Before serving, just give the container a shake and you're good to go!
Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can prep everything a few hours in advance. Just keep the herbs and feta separate until you're ready to serve.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. The kale holds up well and doesn’t get soggy.
If you make this Kale Chickpea Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing or any other salad recipe on Urban Farm and Kitchen, please take a moment to rate the recipe ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe.
For more Urban Farm and Kitchen, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, visit the Urban Farm Shop, or subscribe for new posts via email.
Recipe Card
Kale Chickpea Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing
Ingredients
Salad Dressing
- 3 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 2 tablespoon Tahini
- 1 tablespoon Honey - Use more if you like a sweeter dressing
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper
Salad Ingredients
- ½ Kale bunch - about 3 cups after chopping
- 3 Persian cucumbers (diced)
- 1 can Chickpeas (drained and rinsed) - 14oz can (398ml)
- ½ cup Greek feta (crumbled)
- 2 tablespoon Mint (finely chopped) - Use more or less to taste
- 2 tablespoon Parsley (finely chopped) - Use more or less to taste
- 2 tablespoon Dill (finely chopped) - Use more or less to taste
- Dill fronds and mint leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Dressing. Make the creamy tahini dressing directly in your serving bowl. Whisk together 3 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoon Lemon Juice, 2 tablespoon Tahini, 1 tablespoon Honey, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon Black pepper until creamy and well combined.
- Prep the Kale. Strip ½ Kale bunch and discard the tough stems. Chop into bite-sized pieces. Rinse it under cold water in a colander, massaging the leaves vigorously as you go. This helps tenderize the kale, but also washes away some of the bitterness. Set aside to drain. You could also use a salad spinner or paper towels to remove excess water.
- Assemble the Salad. To the bowl with the dressing, add 3 Persian cucumbers (diced), 1 can Chickpeas (drained and rinsed), ½ cup Greek feta (crumbled), 2 tablespoon Mint (finely chopped), 2 tablespoon Parsley (finely chopped), and 2 tablespoon Dill (finely chopped).
- Toss. Toss everything together until evenly coated. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Finish with Dill fronds and mint leaves for garnish. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Notes
- Kale: I love using Lacinato kale, also known as dinosaur kale or Tuscan kale. But you can use any other type of kale if you prefer (red curly kale is nice too). This recipe calls for half a bunch, but you can use more or less depending on how much you like kale. You can also substitute the kale with other leafy greens like romaine lettuce, fresh spinach, or arugula.
- Cucumbers: I prefer using Persian cucumbers. They are crunchy and refreshing, with a small seed cavity and thin skin. You can use an English cucumber if that’s what you have access to, but you may want to peel it and remove some of the watery seed cavity before chopping.
- Feta: I think Greek feta is the only way to go here! It’s creamy, salty and tangy. But if you don’t like feta cheese, you can use another creamy cheese like goat cheese instead. Vegan alternatives are available.
- Massage the raw kale well. It makes all the difference in texture. The kale will be less crunchy and more tender.
- “Beef” it up with your favorite protein! Add sliced rotisserie chicken, seared shrimp, plant-based protein, or fried tofu to increase the protein per portion. If you have leftover Chicken Shish Tawook or Chicken Shawarma meat, use that!
- Meal Prep: This is an excellent meal prep recipe. Simply divide the dressing equally in your containers first. Then layer the ingredients as you like. Before serving, just give the container a shake and you're good to go!
Leave a Reply