Chickpea, feta and cucumber salad
Ingredients
Method
- Drain the chickpeas and rinse them under cold water. Keep the liquid (aquafaba) for another recipe if you like.
- In a salad bowl, mix the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, cumin, turmeric, salt and pepper. Add the chickpeas and leave them to marinate while you prepare the vegetables.
- Cut the cucumber in half lengthways, scoop out the seeds with a spoon and dice it. Halve the cherry tomatoes and finely slice the red onion.
- Add the vegetables to the bowl, then crumble the feta over the top by hand.
- Chop the mint and parsley, add them at the last minute, toss gently and serve.
Notes
Fresh, crunchy and filling, chickpea, feta and cucumber salad is one of those recipes you make in ten minutes and keep coming back to all summer. It’s inspired by the salads of the eastern Mediterranean, where pulses, fresh herbs and sheep’s cheese have always gone hand in hand. In this article, you’ll find our recipe, our tips for a salad that stays crunchy, ideas for variations and the best way to pack it for lunch.
A complete, balanced salad
The strength of this salad is its balance. The chickpeas provide plant protein and fibre: around 8 to 9 grams of protein per 100 grams of cooked chickpeas. The feta adds animal protein, calcium and that salty flavour that lifts the whole dish. The cucumber, which is more than 95% water, brings freshness and crunch. With the tomatoes, red onion, herbs and olive oil, you get a proper complete meal that keeps you going without feeling heavy.
That’s why this salad is so popular as a packed lunch: it keeps you full until the evening and needs no reheating. It’s also naturally vegetarian and gluten-free.
Tinned or dried chickpeas?
Both work very well. Tinned chickpeas are already cooked: just drain them and rinse under cold water to remove the liquid they were packed in. It’s the quickest option, and the one we use in this recipe.
Dried chickpeas take more planning: soak them overnight in plenty of cold water, then simmer gently for about 1 to 1½ hours. In return, they are cheaper, less salty and often firmer. Allow about 100 grams of dried chickpeas to get the equivalent of a 400 gram tin (240 grams drained).
A little zero-waste tip: don’t throw away the liquid from the tin of chickpeas. It’s called aquafaba and it whips up just like egg whites. You can use it, for example, to make an egg-free chocolate mousse.
Our tips for a salad that stays crunchy
Deseed the cucumber
The centre of the cucumber, with its seeds, holds a lot of water. Cut the cucumber in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon. Your salad will stay crunchy for longer and won’t end up swimming in liquid.
Dress it at the last minute
Salt draws the water out of vegetables. If you’re making the salad ahead, keep the dressing separate and toss it in just before serving. The chickpeas, on the other hand, can marinate in the dressing: they soak up the flavour without going soft.
Crumble the feta by hand
Rather than cutting it into perfect cubes, crumble the feta roughly with your fingers. The small pieces spread out better and coat the vegetables. Choose a PDO feta, made in Greece with sheep’s milk or a mix of sheep’s and goat’s milk: its flavour is much richer.
Don’t forget the herbs
Mint and flat-leaf parsley transform this salad. Chop them generously, at the last minute, so they keep their fragrance.
Our lemon, cumin and turmeric dressing
The dressing for this salad is simple: olive oil, lemon juice, a little mustard, salt and pepper. To give it a sunny touch, we add a pinch of cumin and a pinch of turmeric. Cumin is a perfect match for chickpeas, as in hummus, and turmeric gives the dressing a lovely golden colour. Remember the black pepper, the ideal partner for turmeric; we talk about it in our guide to the different forms of turmeric.
Chickpea salad variations
Greek-style
Add Kalamata olives, a few strips of green pepper and a teaspoon of dried oregano. You’ll have a salad very close to the famous Greek salad, with chickpeas as a bonus.
Lebanese-style
Add cooked bulgur wheat, plenty of parsley and mint, and replace some of the lemon with pomegranate molasses. It becomes something close to tabbouleh, only more filling.
Winter version
Out of season, replace the tomatoes and cucumber with cubes of roasted sweet potato, fresh spinach and pomegranate seeds. The feta stays, and so do the chickpeas. And for a warm version, try our chickpea, spinach and turmeric pan-fry.
Vegan version
Replace the feta with cubes of firm tofu marinated in lemon, olive oil and a little salt, or with olives and avocado for a softer, creamier element.
Making the salad ahead and packing it
This salad is ideal for making the day before. To keep it perfect, layer it in a jar: dressing at the bottom, then the chickpeas, red onion, tomatoes, cucumber, feta and finally the herbs. When it’s time to eat, simply shake the jar or tip everything onto a plate.
It keeps for 2 days in the fridge in an airtight container. After that, the cucumber goes soft and the herbs turn dark.
What to serve with this salad?
It’s a meal in itself with a piece of toasted pitta bread. It also goes very well with chicken skewers, grilled fish, our herby chickpea croquettes or vegetable patties. For a buffet or a party, serve it in small glasses.
Frequently asked questions
Should you peel the cucumber?
No. The skin adds crunch and colour. Wash it well and, if the skin seems thick, peel off alternate strips with a vegetable peeler.
What can I use instead of feta?
A fresh sheep’s cheese, ricotta salata or cubes of mozzarella all work well. The flavour will simply be less salty.
When is the best time to make this salad?
In France, cucumbers and tomatoes are in full season from June to September.That’s the best time for this salad, but the chickpeas and feta mean you can adapt it all year round.
