This chickpea caesar salad has become one of my favorites to make for a quick lunch during the week! If you make the dressing ahead of time, it makes the process that much faster. You can use your choice of lettuce and seasoning for the chickpeas. I prefer to keep it simple just olive oil, salt, and pepper. You can also go with or without the croutons. If I have leftover bread such as a french loaf, I will chop it up and toss it with oil, then make the pieces to crisp them for croutons. It's delicious with or without the extra bread. I bought these new bowls from CB2 to make eating salads aesthetic and easy! Plates are a little bit harder to serve salads on, but bowls can be too deep. I love that these bowls are wide with sides!
Crispy Chickpea Caesar Salad
CAESAR DRESSING
- 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- Juice from half of one lemon
- 1/4-1/2 Cup of Mayo
- 1 Teaspoon Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 Teaspoon Dijon
- 1/2 Teaspoon Worcestershire
- Kosher Salt & Pepper to Taste
- In a food processor, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, garlic cloves, salt & pepper, and lemon juice and mix until it becomes a thicker texture and the garlic has chopped up into small bits.
- Add the mayo, red wine vinegar, Dijon, and Worcestershire. Mix completely until it becomes a thick dressing. I typically eye mine by adding more lemon or mayo when necessary, but those are the only two ingredients I play around with. If it's too soupy, add more mayo. If it tastes too much like mayo, add a little more lemon until the taste is just right.
CHICKPEAS
- 1 15 oz can of chickpeas
- 1-2 Teaspoons of Olive Oil
- Pinch of Kosher Salt & Pepper
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
- Prep the chickpeas by draining the can and rinsing them off in a strainer. Once rinsed, dry off with a paper towel completely. They need to be as dry as possible to make them crispy in the oven.
- Toss the chickpeas with a little olive oil and salt & pepper to taste.
- Spread the chickpeas onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in a single layer and place in the oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes until they just start turning golden brown then remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
CROUTONS (Optional)
- French Baguette
- 1-2 Teaspoons of Olive Oil
- Pinch of Kosher Salt & Pepper
- If adding croutons, prep the baguette by either tearing/chopping small pieces to cutting into small bread slices as shown in the picture. Toss the bread in olive oil and a little bit of salt and pepper to taste.
- Once the chickpeas are done and removed from the oven, add the bread and bake 3-4 minutes. Watch them carefully as I over bake mine all the time!
KALE (Optional)
- Curly Kale
- 1-2 Teaspoons of Olive Oil
- Pinch of Kosher Salt & Pepper
- If using kale, wash your care and remove the stems. Massage your kale thoroughly to soften but adding it into a bowl with a little bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Massage until it's limp and soft.
SALAD
- 1 Stalk of Romaine Lettuce, washed & torn to pieces
- Fresh Parmesan Block or Grated (Optional)
- Assemble your salad by placing the lettuce in a bowl, followed by drizzling the dressing and shake the salad with a covered top if desired. Next add your chickpeas, croutons or bread slices, then shave parmesan using a peeler or sprinkle on top if grated.
Leave a comment below with your favorite way to do a Caesar Salad! Do you prefer chicken or alternatives for a quick lunch?
Crispy Chickpea Caesar Salad
Yield: 2
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Crispy chickpea caesar salad for a quick lunch for one with leftovers
Ingredients
- Olive Oil
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- Juice from half of one lemon
- 1/4-1/2 Cup of Mayo
- 1 Teaspoon Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 Teaspoon Dijon
- 1/2 Teaspoon Worcestershire
- Salt & Pepper to Taste
- 1 15 oz can of chickpeas
- French Baguette (Optional)
- 1 Stalk of Romaine Lettuce, washed & torn to pieces
- Kale (Optional)
- Fresh Parmesan Block or Grated (Optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
- Prep the chickpeas by draining the can and rinsing them off in a strainer. Once rinsed, dry off with a paper towel completely. They need to be as dry as possible to make them crispy in the oven.
- Toss the chickpeas with a little olive oil and salt & pepper to taste.
- Spread the chickpeas onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in a single layer and place in the oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes until they just start turning golden brown then remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, if adding croutons, prep the baguette by either tearing/chopping small pieces to cutting into small bread slices as shown in the picture. Toss the bread in olive oil and a little bit of salt and pepper to taste.
- Once the chickpeas are done and removed from the oven, add the bread and bake 3-4 minutes. Watch them carefully as I over bake mine all the time!
- In a food processor, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, garlic cloves, salt & pepper, and lemon juice and mix until it becomes a thicker texture and the garlic has chopped up into small bits.
- Add the mayo, red wine vinegar, Dijon, and Worcestershire. Mix completely until it becomes a thick dressing. I typically eye mine by adding more lemon or mayo when necessary, but those are the only two ingredients I play around with. If it's too soupy, add more mayo. If it tastes too much like mayo, add a little more lemon until the taste is just right.
- If using kale, wash your care and remove the stems. Massage your kale thoroughly to soften but adding it into a bowl with a little bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Massage until it's limp and soft.
- Assemble your salad by placing the lettuce in a bowl, followed by drizzling the dressing and shake the salad with a covered top if desired. Next add your chickpeas, croutons or bread slices, then shave parmesan using a peeler or sprinkle on top if grated.
