Bean Chickpea Salad
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Bean chickpea salad is an easy recipe that is full of freshness and flavor. Packed full of nutrition, this simple to make bean salad recipe is the perfect side dish to meal prep for the week, and comes together in just 15 minutes!
Table of Contents
Why We Love Bean Chickpea Salad
- Staple Side Dish – Bean salads aren’t a super glamorous meal, but they do make a great side dish that’s easy to throw together. This dish is a little sweet, a little tangy and it’s such an easy salad!
- Incredibly Flexible – You can use this type of salad to help clean out some of the vegetables you have in the fridge, and you can easily swap in other types of beans and it’s still a delicious recipe.
- Easy To Prep Ahead – While sometimes I throw together and serve, often this is a dish I’ll make as meal prep and we’ll enjoy as a side a few times. The marinade also gets more flavorful with time in the refrigerator.
- Budget Friendly – Let’s be real for a second, beans are still cheap! This recipe is a good recipe to supplement your grocery budget.
Ingredients For Bean Chickpea Salad
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions below in the recipe card.
- dark kidney beans canned beans, drained well – can use light kidney beans also.
- cannellini beans canned beans, drained well, also known as white kidney beans.
- chickpeas canned chickpeas, drained well. Sometimes called garbanzo beans.
- red bell pepper diced, I used a red pepper but you can use an orange, yellow or green bell pepper.
- zucchini diced – could also use a cucumber that has had seeds removed
- sweet onion diced red onion or white onion also works, but has a little more bite then a sweet onion does.
- apple cider vinegar
- olive oil – or avocado oil
- sugar white sugar
- Italian seasoning
- salt
- pepper
This is a great recipe to throw in garden fresh herbs that may be growing in your garden at the end. Oregano, basil, thyme and fresh parsley all make great additions to this bean salad.
How To Make Bean Chickpea Salad
- Open the beans and chickpeas into a colander, Drain and rinse the beans well and pat dry with a paper towel
- Dice the bell pepper, zucchini and onion into small ¼ inch or less pieces. I like using a vegetable chopper for this part to make it faster.
- In a large bowl add the beans, chickpeas, bell pepper, zucchini and onion. Mix well.
- Place apple cider vinegar, oil, sugar, italian seasoning, salt and pepper into a small bowl. Mix the dressing well with a spoon or a whisk.
- Pour the dressing over the bean mixture and toss to coat the beans in the dressing. You can serve the salad immediately or cover and place in the refrigerator to chill until ready to serve.
Variation Ideas For This Bean Salad Recipe
This recipe is incredibly flexible! Don’t be afraid to adding in fresh produce you have, adjust the recipe to your family’s own tastes, or throw an extra can of chickpeas into the mix.
Beans – I have found that personally I prefer a bean that has a firmer texture like a kidney bean or a chickpea in this salad. However you can swap any bean you enjoy in a cold salad such as black beans, navy beans or pinto bean.
Lentils and Legumes – Technically chickpeas, black eyed peas, defrosted green peas, and lentils are in a slightly different family (legume) but they work great in this cold salad too. Green beans can be used but must be drained and rinsed well if using canned. If using fresh green beans cut them into bite sized pieces and cook them briefly in water to soften them, also called blanching green beans.
Fresh Vegetables – I like adding diced bell pepper to this recipe, but diced celery or shredded carrots are also great. I used zucchini, but you can also use cucumber if you remove the seeds so the salad doesn’t get too watery. Cherry tomatoes cut in half or firm sliced avocado is also a great addition. Fresh corn can be added, but you can also use canned or defrosted frozen corn if you prefer.
Cheese – A generous sprinkle of feta cheese or shredded parmesan cheese over the top of this salad can also be delicious. I like to add it at the table as not everyone in my family enjoys the saltiness of these cheeses, but it does add great flavor.
What To Serve With Bean Chickpea Salad
I love to make a big batch of marinated bean and chickpea salad and serve it as a side dish to my family for a few meals. It goes especially well with a lean protein from the grill like my infamous grilled Italian chicken breasts, pineapple pork skewers or turkey burger sliders.
We also like this dish with other lean proteins like this delicious pistachio crusted salmon, the slow cooker bbq chicken thighs, or even baked stuffed pizza chicken breast.
This salad also makes a great lunch option! Serve it with pecan cranberry chicken salad sandwiches, an apple walnut chicken salad sandwich, Italian pinwheels, or a delicious egg salad sandwich.
This dish also goes with so many other sides! Try it with a side of honey roasted carrots, some honey butter skillet corn, some crispy potato wedges or my family’s favorite cheesy garlic biscuits.
How Do I Help A Picky Eater Enjoy This Bean Salad
When my kid was tiny she wouldn’t eat the salad as is. I would save some of the beans and vegetables to the side before I put the dressing on top. As she got used to the vegetables being together, I started giving her just a little bit of the vinegarette dressing.
Eventually, I could scoop her portion off the top which didn’t have as much dressing, and that worked well. The dressing is a little on the sweeter side which also helps make it a satisfying salad for her too.
How Long Will Bean Chickpea Salad Last?
Expect this marinated bean chickpea salad will last for about 4-5 to days in the refrigerator as written. Sometimes adding vegetables with a lot of liquid, like garden tomatoes will make the salad expire a little faster because of all the liquid.
Store leftovers in a covered airtight container in the fridge.
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Bean Chickpea Salad
Ingredients
- 15.5 ounce dark kidney beans canned, drained well
- 15.5 ounce cannellini beans canned, drained well, also known as white kidney beans
- 15.5 ounce chickpeas canned, drained well
- 1 medium red bell pepper diced
- 1 medium zucchini diced
- 1/4 medium sweet onion diced
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons sugar white sugar
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Open the beans and chickpeas into a colander, Drain and rinse the beans well and pat dry with a paper towel
- Dice the bell pepper, zucchini and onion into small ¼ inch or less pieces. I like using a vegetable chopper for this part to make it faster.
- In a large bowl add the beans, chickpeas, bell pepper, zucchini and onion. Mix well.
- Place apple cider vinegar, oil, sugar, italian seasoning, salt and pepper into a small bowl. Mix the dressing well with a spoon.
- Pour the dressing over the bean mixture and stir well. You can serve the salad immediately or cover and place in the refrigerator to chill until ready to serve.
Nutrition
Did You Make This?
I would love to see it! Share your thoughts with me in the comments below!
