It feels good to welcome the official start of summer. It’s also the official start of salad season, though technically, I’ve been enjoying salad since New York started warming up.
Not long ago, I shared a simple Greek vinaigrette. This dressing brings life to my salads, cereal bowls, and roasted vegetables.
I had Greek vinaigrette on hand last week and thought it was time to make an excellent, crisp, refreshing vegan Greek salad. I’ve made barley before, and I love it. This time, it might be fun to add some beans because I love beans and because they add plant protein (to tofu feta).
This chickpea Greek salad is a delight! Its refreshing taste and the addition of a few slices of pita bread make it a perfect summer lunch that you’ll thoroughly enjoy.
What’s in a Greek salad?
Greek salads usually include cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, olives, and feta cheese. I’ve seen some recipes with capers and others with fresh oregano. Here, oregano is dried and comes from a Greek vinaigrette.
I like a simple Greek salad. This is a beloved recipe, and for good reason! But I rarely regret adding chickpeas to a recipe, and this chickpea version of a Greek salad is no exception. Chickpeas add texture, vegetable protein, and fiber. They also help make the salad more substantial.
How to make Greek salad with chickpeas
This recipe calls for vanilla tofu feta, which requires a long marinade. When I make a chickpea Greek salad, I usually make the tofu marinade a day in advance. It tastes best when marinated overnight.
Preparing the rest of the salad is simple. The vinaigrette takes only a few minutes to stir, and the other salad ingredients are raw. Peeling and cutting the vegetables is the most time-consuming step.
Replace and add
You can substitute white beans, kidney beans, or other beans for chickpeas in salads. Lentils, which I’ve enjoyed in my Neparazos salad this year, would also be a great addition.
If you have leftover cooked quinoa, barley, or bulgur wheat, you can add it to your salad. I always use pita bread for this dish, but adding cubed bread to make Greek Panzanella would be interesting.
If you need more time to make tofu feta from scratch, try store-bought vegan feta. The Follow Your Heart and Violife brands produce vegan feta cheese, and I’m a fan of both versions.
Stock Greek salad with chickpeas
This salad is well preserved in the form of leftovers. Romaine lettuce will lose some crispness as stored, but the mixture will remain good for three days. As time goes on, the flavors will blend more. The taste of the tofu feta will enhance as the salad lasts.
Tofu feta can be prepared up to two days before making the salad.
More Summer Salads
If this salad is right up your alley, some foods will inspire you, too. These are my favorite bright, refreshing, crispy salads for long, hot days.
- Quinoa, carrot, and spinach salad
- Greek barley salad
- Lemon pasta salad
- Lentil and beet salad
- Quinoa and chickpea Caesar salad
- Lentil salad
- A protein-rich quinoa bean salad
- Sweet potato salad with lentil Tahini dressing
- Quinoa corn and tempeh salad
- White bean and avocado salad
Ingredients
2 steak tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 large English cucumber or 2 regular cucumbers, peeled, cut lengthwise and finely chopped
3/4 cup Kalamata olives, small whole cup, large half cup
1 small head of romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (1 14.5-ounce can, drained and rinsed)
1 batch of feta tofu (with or without oregano)
6 tablespoons Greek vinaigrette
Cashew Parmesan cheese (to taste)
Pita wedge (optional for serving)
Instructions
- Combine the tomatoes, cucumber, olives, lettuce, onion, chickpeas, and vinaigrette in a large bowl. Remove the tofu feta from the marinade and place in a bowl. Stir everything together.
- Taste it, then add more vinaigrette or tofu feta marinade to your liking. If desired, add some cashew Parmesan. Serve with pita bread.
