This zesty southwest style chickpea salad is loaded with bright zingy flavours and is a handy recipe to have up your sleeve for summer entertaining. It requires only 3 simple fridge or pantry ingredients and is easy to toss together in minutes. (Skip to recipe.)
Summer's here and the livin' is easy . . . that is . . . between all the weeding and mowing and digging and pruning and gardening we have to do, and all the painting and fixing and flower-bed building we've chosen to add to the already groaning list.
Ah, well. We'll survive, and it keeps us at home and out of trouble.
During these busy days, it helps lighten the load a lot if you have some quick easy meal ideas up your sleeve. This simple southwest style chickpea salad is one of those, being a good basic salad you can whip up at a moment's notice. It only takes three ingredients and three minutes to make, and it's flavourful and nutritious.
You can add an optional drizzle of olive oil for shine and richness once the chickpea salad is in the bowl and top it with a shower of cilantro leaves for added colour and a touch of fresh herbaceous flavour, but those are strictly gilding the lily.
Serve this tasty southwest style chickpea salad with grilled burgers or sausages, or as a part of a cold picnic spread. You can toss in other ingredients if you like, to change it up, or just serve it as-is. You can even add in some diced cooked chicken and avocado and call it a meal, if you like.
I love this kind of summer 'cooking'. Makes me feel like a kitchen wizard on days when I'm definitely not!
* * * * *
Kitchen Frau Notes: Sometimes I like to add a glug of oil to make the salsa seem like more of a dressing, but I often just serve the salad without, too. At the end of the recipe I've listed a variety of optional add-ins. Feel free to toss in one or more of those if you'd like (or any suitable add-ins you can think of); you may have to add another spoonful of salsa or handful of cheese if you add more than one extra ingredient.
Aged, or old, cheddar cheese adds the most flavour, but if you don't have it, substitute regular mild or medium cheddar.
3-Ingredient Southwest Chickpea Salad
- 1 can (540ml/19oz) chickpeas/garbanzo beans or 2 cups cooked chickpeas or other beans
- 1 cup (240ml) chunky salsa, mild or medium heat level
- 1 cup (100gms) shredded aged cheddar cheese, lightly packed
- optional - a drizzle of olive oil and chopped cilantro to garnish
Drain the chickpeas and combine with the salsa and shredded cheese. Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with chopped cilantro, if desired.
This salad can be made ahead of time - in fact, it tastes even better the second day. It will keep for 4 to 5 days in the fridge.
Optional add-ins - add one or more of these if you like: a handful of diced bell peppers, shredded carrots, diced avocado, chopped red onion, diced radishes, cooked or grilled corn kernels, diced cooked chicken, black olives, diced mango or pineapple, some extra chili powder, a spoonful of sour cream, or a couple tablespoons of olive oil and a squeeze of lime juice
Makes 3 cups salad, without any add-ins (Serves 4).
Guten Appetit!
Want to receive new Kitchen Frau recipes directly to your email? Sign up here and you’ll get a handy and useful kitchen tip along with each recipe, too. (No spam ever.)
If you like my recipes, follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook. You’d make my day!
PIN IT HERE to save the recipe for later:
You might also like:
Leave a Reply