CHICKPEA CAESAR SALAD

Behold: The 30-Minute Chickpea Caesar Salad with vibrant kale, tangy 5-minute Caesar dressing, crispy baked chickpeas, and so much flavor we can hardly contain ourselves.

Let me show you how it’s done!

Ingredients for making our Chickpea Kale Caesar Salad recipe

Start this 30-minute recipe with the dressing: a simple blend of raw cashews (soaking optional, but not necessary!) mustard, garlic, lemon juice, capers, salt, pepper, a little miso paste, maple syrup, and olive oil.

While we love our 5-Minute Caesar Dressing made with hummus, this creamier version wins on flavor and texture by a landslide.

Using our hands to massage a bowl of kale for Chickpea Kale Caesar Salad

If serving with crispy baked chickpeas, prep your kale as the chickpeas bake by massaging it with a little olive oil and lemon juice.

Why massage kale? It softens the sometimes tough texture, removes a little bitterness, and primes the greens for the dressing. In other words, less chewing, better flavor, more enjoyable salad.

All that’s left to do is add your Caesar dressing and crispy chickpeas!

Drizzling chickpea caesar salad dressing onto chopped kale

We hope you LOVE this salad! It’s:

Crunchy
Fresh
Flavorful
Satisfying
Customizable
& Incredibly delicious

This would make the perfect side to just about any main, especially our Garlic White Wine Pasta with Brussels Sprouts, Roasted Red Pepper Pasta, Cheesy Spaghetti Squash Pasta, Garlic Chili Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower, and Creamy Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes.

Into salads? Be sure to check out our Loaded Kale Salad, Easy (Oil-Free) Ranch Dressing, Savory Breakfast Salad, Apple Pecan Arugula Salad, and Herbed Green Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette!

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!

Using wooden salad spoons to toss a bowl of Chickpea Kale Salad topped with tandoori chickpeas

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

SALAD

1 batch Tandoori Spiced Chickpeas
2 large bundles lacinato or curly kale, chopped or torn (2 large bundles equals ~16 ounces | 554 g)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup vegan parmesan cheese (optional)
2 Tbsp hemp seeds (optional)

DRESSING

1 cup raw cashews (option to soak overnight in cool water, or in hot water for 1 hour)
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp each sea salt and black pepper, plus more to taste
8-12 medium cloves fresh garlic, chopped
4 tsp capers in brine
2 tsp brine juice from capers
6 Tbsp lemon juice (2 large lemons yield ~6 Tbsp or 90 ml)
3-4 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup hot water (plus more to thin)
1 tsp chickpea (or soy) miso paste
1 tsp pure maple syrup (or sub Stevia to taste)

Instructions

If serving with crispy chickpeas, prepare at this time (see link above).
To prepare dressing, add raw cashews, dijon mustard, salt, pepper, garlic, capers, brine juice (from capers), lemon juice, olive oil, hot water, miso paste, and maple syrup to a small or high-speed blender. Blend until creamy and smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Add enough water to thin until pourable.
Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding more lemon or mustard for zing, salt or capers for saltiness, olive oil for creaminess, maple syrup to sweeten, or miso for more depth of flavor. Set aside.
Add kale to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with 1 Tbsp (15 ml) each olive oil and lemon juice as recipe is written. Massage by hand to remove some of the bitterness and soften the texture (see photo).
Add desired amount of dressing, plus vegan parmesan cheese and hemp seeds (both optional). Toss to coat and top with crispy chickpeas. Serve immediately. There may be leftover dressing, which will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 7-10 days. Not freezer friendly.

Notes

*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with lesser amount of garlic and olive oil and without optional ingredients.
*Recipe adapted from our Kale Caesar Salad from Minimalist Baker’s Everyday Cooking.