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Home » Recipe Index » American Recipes

Chickpea Tomato Salad with Creamy Yogurt Dressing

Close up photo of Chef Jessica Randhawa of The Forked Spoon in a blue spotted dress, in the sunlight Jessica Randhawa
July 17, 2018
4.93 from 13 votes


Last Updated June 29, 2019 | 1 Comment

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This Chickpea Tomato Salad Recipe with Creamy Yogurt Dressing is a fast, fresh, and healthy vegetarian salad packed full of roasted chickpeas, crunchy cucumber, red onion, tangy pepperoncini, juicy tomatoes, and spicy serrano peppers. Drizzled with a creamy dill yogurt dressing, this awesome Chickpea Tomato Salad is perfect as a side, main course, or potluck addition.

Salad recipes taste perfect when paired with a little Creamy Yogurt Dressing and include this Veggie and Shrimp Salad with Avocado Cilantro Dressing, Mango Avocado Salad with Creamy Yogurt Dressing, and Oven Roasted Carrots + Chickpeas with Farro and Lemon Yogurt Sauce.

Chickpea Tomato Salad with Creamy Yogurt Dressing

This big, fat, fully-loaded salad is the stuff dreams are made of, my friends. And SURPRISE! It’s totally vegetarian. Actually, I have no idea if that is surprising at all. I make a lot of vegetarian surprises, so maybe this is totally expected. Either way, I highly highly recommend this Chickpea Tomato Salad for ALL THE THINGS. And don’t even get me started on the Creamy Yogurt Dressing…

Jk, who do you think I am?

This yogurt dressing is literally everything. Of course, each individual component to this salad is delicious, but the herb yogurt dressing is the glue that brings it all together.

INGREDIENTS IN THIS CHICKPEA TOMATO SALAD WITH CREAMY YOGURT DRESSING

This salad has three main parts- the roasted chickpeas, the creamy yogurt dressing, and the main salad. Don’t worry, it’s not as scary as it sounds. Even the most beginning at-home-cook could whip together this salad no problem.

THE CHICKPEAS- unlike other crispy roasted chickpeas I have made in the past, these have been kicked up a notch with none other than…lemon zest. This tiny, humble addition makes a huge difference and comes highly recommended. I’m surprised any chickpeas made their way to the salad as I could not stop eating them as soon as they finished roasting.

  • Canned chickpeas
  • Olive oil
  • Garlic Powder
  • Paprika
  • Salt + Pepper
  • Lemon zest

THE MAGICAL CREAMY YOGURT DRESSING- even if dill isn’t your favorite herb on the planet, I am begging you please! do not leave it out. While I date hate dill, it definitely isn’t my number one herb of choice. For this magical yogurt dressing, however, fresh dill is an absolute must.

  • Plain yogurt
  • Minced garlic
  • Fresh dill, parsley, green onions
  • Lemon juice
  • Salt + Pepper
  • Garlic powder

THE MAIN SALAD

  • Red bell peppers
  • Tomatoes
  • Cucumber
  • Red onion
  • Peperoncini
  • Serrano or Jalapeño pepper
  • Fresh parsley

ingredients for a chickpea tomato salad- tomato, peperoncini, red onion, cucumber, serrano pepper, roasted red bell pepper

TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST CHICKPEA TOMATO SALAD RECIPE

  • Make it your own. In other words, don’t feel like you HAVE to add the serrano pepper or the peperoncini. And, most important, don’t feel that you can’t add any meat (hint-chicken would go really well here).
  • That said, don’t forget to read the instructions, start to finish, before making the recipe.
  • Don’t overthink it.
  • Add the yogurt dressing just before serving.
  • Or, keep the yogurt dressing separate to prevent the salad from getting soggy.
  • Chop the vegetables into large(ish) chunks.
  • Fresh herbs are a must. I love the convenience of dried herbs, but fresh is best in this case.

Roasted red bell peppers

HOW TO ROAST CHICKPEAS

  1. Preheat oven and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Thoroughly rinse and drain chickpeas.
  3. Dry them. In order to prevent the chickpeas from steaming themselves, you need to make sure they are super dry before roasting them. The easiest way to do this is to gently rub them between paper towels or clean dish towels.
  4. The skins will start to peel off- that’s ok. Leave those behind.
  5. Toss the cleaned and dried chickpeas with your favorite seasoning and olive oil. Usually, I would add fresh garlic to the mix, but to avoid burnt garlic, I used garlic powder instead.
  6. Roast, Roast, Baby.
  7. Remove from the oven, toss with some lemon zest and a little olive oil, if needed, and spread out on the baking sheet, to cool completely.

Do you have to roast the chickpeas in order for this salad to taste delicious? no, definitely not. You can totally skip the roasting altogether and simply add rinsed chickpeas. However, I always like to present options.

The same can be said for the red bell pepper.

In this Chickpea Tomato Salad with Creamy Yogurt Dressing, I roasted my own red bell pepper. Why? Because I had raw red bell pepper waiting to be eaten and no jarred bell peppers. I could have left them raw, I guess, but options…

Vegetarian Chickpea Tomato Salad

CHECK OUT THESE OTHER CHICKPEA RECIPES

  • Avocado Citrus Chickpea Salad
  • Smashed Avocado and Chickpea Sandwich
  • Chickpea Tahini Salad Wraps
  • Zucchini avocado salad with garlic herb dressing and roasted chickpeas

chickpea salad filled with cucumber, bell pepper, peperoncini, tomato, red onion, and creamy yogurt dressing

Big bowl of mixed roasted chickpea tomato salad with herbed yogurt dressing

RECIPE CARD

A close up of a plate of food, with Chickpea tomato Salad

Chickpea Tomato Salad Recipe with Creamy Yogurt Dressing

4.93 from 13 votes
AuthorAuthor: Close up photo of Chef Jessica Randhawa of The Forked Spoon in a blue spotted dress, in the sunlightJessica Randhawa
This Chickpea Tomato Salad Recipe with Creamy Yogurt Dressing is a fast, fresh, and healthy vegetarian salad packed full of roasted chickpeas, crunchy cucumber and red onion, tangy pepperoncini, juicy tomatoes, and spicy serrano peppers. Drizzled with a creamy dill yogurt dressing, this awesome Chickpea Tomato salad is perfect as a side, main course, or potluck.
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Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 40 minutes mins
Total Time 50 minutes mins
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Servings 6
Calories 241 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

For the Roasted Chickpeas

  • 2 (15 ounce) cans chickpeas
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Zest from 1 lemon

For the Creamy Yogurt Dressing

  • 2 cups Plain yogurt
  • 5 cloves garlic - minced
  • ¼ cup fresh dill - finely chopped
  • ½ cup fresh parsley - finely chopped
  • 3 green onions - finely chopped
  • juice from 1/2 a lemon
  • salt + pepper - to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

For the Salad

  • 2 red bell peppers - (see notes)
  • 4 large tomatoes - chopped into large chunks
  • 1 large English Cucumber - diced
  • ½ small red onion - thinly sliced
  • 1 cup peperoncini - roughly chopped
  • 1 serrano or jalapeño pepper - diced
  • 2 tablespoon fresh parsley - chopped
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Instructions
 

For the Chickpeas

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. 
  • As the oven warms, drain and rinse two cans of chickpeas. Transfer the chickpeas to a clean dish towel or stack of 2-3 paper towels. Using another dry paper towel or dish towel gently rub the chickpeas dry. The skins will start to peel off- that's ok.
  • Transfer chickpeas to a large mixing bowl and gently toss with the olive oil, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Transfer chickpeas to the prepared baking sheet in a single layer and bake for approximately 35-40 minutes, reserving the mixing bowl with any leftover oil or seasoning.
  • Remove the chickpeas from the oven and allow to cool for 2 minutes before transferring to the mixing bowl and carefully tossing with the lemon zest and any remaining olive oil (I had approximately 1 teaspoon remaining).
  • Transfer back to the baking sheet in a single layer and allow chickpeas to cool completely.

For the Creamy yogurt Dressing

  • Add all ingredients to a medium bowl and stir well to mix. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste (see notes).

For the Roasted Red Bell Pepper (optional)

  • Preheat oven to broil. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
  • Roast bell peppers for 10-15 minutes, rotating every 5 minutes to ensure even cooking on each side. Remove from oven when peppers are charred and tender on each side. Carefully (the peppers will be hot) wrap the peppers in foil and allow them to steam for 5 minutes.
  • Unwrap the bell peppers and allow to cool before removing the stem, scooping out the seeds and chopping into chunks.

Assemble the Salad

  • In a large salad bowl add the roasted bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, pepperoncini, serrano pepper, and fresh parsley. Gently toss to combine. Just before serving top with the crispy chickpeas and drizzle with the desired amount of homemade creamy yogurt dressing.

Jessica's Notes

  • I did not use a blender to blend together the yogurt dressing. If you prefer popping it all in a blender or food processor, that works, too.
  • If you prefer not to roast your own red bell peppers, you can purchase pre-roasted red bell peppers from most major grocery stores.
  • Recipe inspired by Lexi's Clean Kitchen.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 241kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 438mg | Potassium: 387mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2365IU | Vitamin C: 82.5mg | Calcium: 128mg | Iron: 1.1mg

(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)

Did You Make This Recipe? Tag it Today!Mention @theforkedspoon or tag #theforkedspoon and please leave your star rating in the comment section below.

About Jessica

Close up photo of Chef Jessica Randhawa of The Forked Spoon in a blue spotted dress, in the sunlight

Chef Jessica Randhawa leads The Forked Spoon. A world traveler, Jessica developed her passion for culinary arts while adventuring. With her recipes making their way onto renowned platforms such as Women's Health, Daily Mail, Al Jazeera, and Fox News, she's marked her presence in the culinary world. Jessica's academic credentials include a Bachelor of Science from the University of California.

839 shares
Close up photo of Chef Jessica Randhawa of The Forked Spoon in a blue spotted dress, in the sunlight

About Jessica Randhawa

Chef Jessica Randhawa leads The Forked Spoon. A world traveler, Jessica developed her passion for culinary arts while adventuring. With her recipes making their way onto renowned platforms such as Women's Health, Daily Mail, Al Jazeera, and Fox News, she's marked her presence in the culinary world. Jessica's academic credentials include a Bachelor of Science from the University of California.

Comments

  1. Sadmommy says

    March 13, 2019 at 3:08 pm

    5 stars
    This was sooooo great for my pregnant sick body today – thank you!

    Reply

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Recipe Rating




4.93 from 13 votes (12 ratings without comment)

Close up photo of Chef Jessica Randhawa of The Forked Spoon in a blue spotted dress, in the sunlight

Welcome to The Forked Spoon! I’m Chef Jessica Randhawa, and for over 14 years, I’ve been crafting and sharing more than 1200 recipes, blending delicious flavors with practical kitchen tips and expert culinary advice to elevate your everyday cooking. Learn more about me→

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