Chickpea and spinach salad with cumin is so fresh tasting and flavorful that’ll you wonder why you’ve been eating anything else. Lemon and orange juice, mint, yogurt, red onion, and all those delectable little chickpeas make this healthy but still satiating.
In this chickpea and spinach salad recipe, the versatile chickpea goes exotic in a deeply spiced, aromatic lemon and cumin dressing. Herbs punch it up with an unmistakable freshness, and the spinach provides a tender bed. An orange-infused yogurt topping for the salad creates a cool, creamy contrast. It’s great served with spiced pita chips or fresh bread.
–Ellie Krieger*CAN I USE DRIED CHICKPEAS IN THIS RECIPE?
Well, sure you can! But it’s going to take a little planning ahead, rather than just cracking open a can and dumping them into a bowl. You can slow- or quick-soak them. For a slow soak, dump them into a bowl and cover them with lots of cold water. Add 1 tablespoon of baking soda for every 500 grams of chickpeas for a smoother result. Soak for 8 to 12 hours. For a quick soak, place them in a saucepan instead. cover with lots of cold water (and again, baking soda if using). Bring to a boil and continue boiling for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and leave for 1 hour. Ta-da!
☞ Contents
Chickpea and Spinach Salad With Cumin
Ingredients
- One (15.5-ounce) can chickpeas* preferably low-sodium, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest preferably organic
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons plain nonfat yogurt
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
- 1/4 teaspoon finely grated orange zest preferably organic
- 1/4 teaspoon honey
- 2 ounces baby spinach leaves (about 2 cups lightly packed)
- 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped mint leaves
Directions
- In a medium bowl, combine the chickpeas, parsley, and onion. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice and zest, cumin, cayenne, salt, and black pepper. Pour the dressing over the chickpea mixture and toss to coat evenly.
- In another small bowl, stir the yogurt, orange juice and zest, and honey.
- Divide the spinach leaves among 4 plates. Spoon the chickpea mixture over the spinach. Top with the yogurt sauce and sprinkle with the mint. Originally published August 20, 2009.
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Recipe Testers’ Reviews
The snow caused a cancellation of my lunch plans just about the time this lovely-looking dish hit my in-box. I’d just bought a giant-sized container of fresh baby spinach and I realized I had everything else on hand except parsley. But I had cilantro and it seemed that’d work well with the flavors. Indeed it did.
This salad was as simple as can be, yet totally satisfying as lunch with a hunk of my latest Lex bread experiment. The chickpeas made it a meal and the flavors were beautifully balanced and blended by the combinations of dressings. I love it when I find a good-for-me recipe that tastes this delicious.
What a delightful and filling salad. The technique of dressing first the beans and then the entire salad with a second dressing is just brilliant. This makes for a much more complex mixture of tastes than one dressing would, and it doesn’t really require any more effort. The fresh, bright flavors of the herbs and citrus balance the earthy spinach, garbanzo beans, and cumin very nicely. It all comes together in just a few minutes with very little effort.
If the portion size is increased and a chopped vegetable or two like cucumber, radish, or tomato is added, this would make an excellent vegetarian main dish salad.
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If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Made this with chickpeas that we had cooked from scratch (soaked overnight, then cooked in a pressure cooker and naturally cooled). That meant no added sodium and they really do taste better, always worth the effort. This recipe has a great balance – the small amounts of both orange and lemon work so well with the cumin. This is a great vegetarian recipe to add to the arsenal! Even tho I had forgot parsley, with fresh spinach and mint it was a terrific lunch and will yield some leftover dressed beans to go with tapas or mezze for an easy Friday night.
Hi Irene, looove your tips on cooking chickpeas in a pressure cooker. And love that you love this recipe!
Made this tonight and doubled the recipe to serve as a main course for our family. LOVED it! The perfect light dish after a week of Christmas indulging. 🙂 Thank you!
You’re quite welcome, Bridget. We find it to be a lovely item as it tastes so good it doesn’t feel like penance to eat it…
This salad was consumed in minutes! I think next time I will mix the spinach leaves in with the chickpeas so that they are also coated in dressing, though that is just personal preference. I would definitely recommend this for anyone who loves cumin!
Lovely to hear, Amy! Thanks for letting us know how much you like it…
Mmmm, I can visualize orange segments added to this delicious-looking recipe, besides Nancy’s (above) yummy suggestions).
Love the idea of orange segments! Adding citrus to salads is one of my favorite ways to change it up a bit, add a bit of tart zing to cut the earthiness of ingredients like chickpeas and lentils. Thanks for suggesting it. We’re so glad you stopped by and took time to comment.
It is a luscious salad, isn’t it? Let us know if you try it with orange segments.
Beth