Have you ever had a kitchen sink salad?
This line up includes chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, bread chunks, feta, lemon zest, basil and celery leaves (my new favorite ingredient by the way). It’s dressed with lemon juice and lots of good olive oil. So basically it’s a big bread salad with lots of stuff in it. Or better yet, a chickpea panzanella with a Greek twist?
That sounds better.
The beauty of a salad like this is that you can throw in/take out whatever you’d like.
However, if you’re in the mood for something crunchy and refreshing, this particular combination fits the bill (celery leaves! celery leaves!)
It’s a great salad for a crowd or a little bowl of heaven to enjoy at lunch.
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chickpea panzanella
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 4
Description
If summer could speak, it would scream this salad. Creamy chickpeas, juicy tomatoes, and toasted bread join forces to create this Greek-inspired panzanella. My secret? The mandolin. It slices the vegetables beautifully thin. I’m not into kitchen gadgets but this tool is essential for speed and precision. In fact, I own three…
Ingredients
Croutons
- 1 1/2 c. cubed country bread, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Salad
- 1x 14 oz. can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 c. sliced English cucumber
- 1/4 c. Vidalia onion, quartered & thinly sliced
- 1/4 c. sliced celery
- 1/4 c. chopped celery leaves
- 2 tbsp. minced chives
- 1/4 c. basil leaves, cut into ribbons
- 1/4 c. Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
- 1/2 c. crumbled feta
Dressing
- 1 tbsp. of lemon zest, about 1 lemon
- 4 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 c. good quality olive oil
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Garnish
- handful of celery and basil leaves
Kitchen Notes:
Slice the vegetables as thin as possible, about 1/4-inch thick. If you do not have a mandolin, a food processor fitted with the slicer blade would work as well.
Substitutions:
Sweet Vidalia onions are seasonal and at their peak in the summer months. When unavailable, use a red onion instead.
Instructions
- Croutons: preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the bread onto a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and lightly season with salt and pepper. Toss well to coat. Bake in the center of the oven until golden, about 10 minutes. Set aside until ready to use.
- Salad: add the croutons, chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, celery, celery leaves, chives, basil and olives to a large bowl.
- Dressing: add the lemon zest and lemon juice to a small bowl. Slowly stream in the olive oil and whisk well to emulsify. Add salt and pepper.
- To assemble, drizzle a little vinaigrette over the salad. Toss well, so that all of the ingredients are well coated. Taste the salad; it should be crisp and refreshing with plenty of acidity from the lemon. If not, add more dressing and adjust seasoning.
- Right before serving, top with crumbled feta (if you add it too early, it will disappear into little pieces when tossed).
- Garnish with extra celery and basil leaves.
Comments
Nadia says
Well I made this delicious salad with Martha Stewart’s tuna cakes! Keep the salad recipes going.
Emilie says
Wonderful! Thanks for the feedback. I certainly will :)
Susan Parker says
The best quality of oil you can purchase is at an Oil & Vinegar shop such as Oil & Vinegar USA or any of the mom and pop oil speciality shops. Just google oil and vinegar shops and your city and it will locate any shops in your area. You will notice the difference right away and you will never again buy your oils at the grocery store.
Emilie says
Great tip Susan! I have to agree with you on that one… there are so many good olive oils found in specialty shops these days. The best ones have both harvest & expiration dates in addition to where they’re from. You can definitely tell the difference! Thanks for stopping by! :)
Sue says
Loved this salad! Beautiful! Next time, I would add garlic to the dressing and / or some honey.
Emilie says
That’s sounds yummy! Glad you liked the recipe. Thanks for stopping by Sue! :)
Heather Who Needs a Cape? says
What a healthy Delish meal! Love it!
Thanks for linking up to Super Sunday! Be sure to come back next week with some more of your Super Items!
http://whoneedsacape.com/2013/06/super-sunday-party-1/
Emilie says
Thanks!! I will definitely be there :)
Tracy says
I made this a couple weeks ago. It is so good. So tasty. Didn’t get a chance to buy celery tops but still good. I’m making this again this evening for a Mother’s Day dinner with family. Thank you for sharing !!
★★★★★
Kelli says
I made this tonight (sans celery tops) and loved it!!! It was so fresh and so flavorful! Will totally be making this again. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Emilie says
You’re quite welcome! Oh, I’m so glad you like this!!! Isn’t it light & tasty? I love this salad, especially for entertaining :)
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
This looks so good! Not only is it beautiful but I bet it tastes amazing with all those flavours :) pinning!
Emilie says
Welcome Becca! Thank you! It definitely happens to be one of my favorite salads- everything I love in 1 bowl :)
Chloe says
What “good quality” olive oil do you recommend?
Mrs Mulberry says
Beautiful – so healthy and delicious, and it looks spectacular. Thanks for sharing Emilie!
theclevercarrot says
Thanks so much- this dish is one of my favorites. I make it a lot in the summer and it travels well to bbq’s. Gotta love that!
Aggie says
Gorgeous salad!! I could eat this every day.
theclevercarrot says
Thank you so much!!! I could too. At least it’s healthy! Thanks for stopping by :)
Ruby says
Kitchen sink salad. A great name for something you wouldn’t expect to look so beautiful. I love the idea of the pieces of bread tossed in. Instant dunk!
theclevercarrot says
Thanks Ruby! Yeah, my kitchen sink should never be photographed (ha ha). I happened to use sourdough in this recipe and it was great. The bread makes it. You’re right, it is an instant dunk!
Barbara Bamber | justasmidgen says
Such a pretty salad! I make a similar one at the lake when I don’t have time to fuss. Actually, I’ve come to prefer these to most salads, because they’re unique each and every time. I love the ingredients you’ve added to yours!!
theclevercarrot says
Thank you so much! I could’t agree with you more- these salads are great time savers and often more interesting than most salads. The variety of ingredients makes them fun. It’s a great way to use up summer veggies too! Thanks again for stopping by :)
celia says
All the things I adore, in the one bowl! :)
theclevercarrot says
Oh me too. It’s creamy, crunchy, salty, yum!