Chickpea spinach salad
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This simple chickpea spinach salad combines spinach, protein-packed chickpeas, sundried tomatoes, and pecorino cheese tossed with a bright lemon garlic dressing. It’s fabulous, juicy, and full of Mediterranean flavor.
It’s perfect for a scrumptious spring lunch or to bring to parties!
This easy salad is guaranteed to keep you coming back for seconds. It only takes 15 minutes to prepare, and it’s so flavorful and packed with plant-based protein and superfood spinach—trust me, you’ll fall in love.
Unlike many spinach salad recipes, including my fresh spinach arugula salad and spinach avocado salad, this chickpea spinach salad doesn’t use raw spinach.
Wilting the spinach leaves is a no-brainer and takes only a few minutes. But once they’re soft and mixed with the chickpeas, they create a delicious combination of texture and flavor.
And you won’t have to worry about the small chickpeas rolling all over the plate when you try to pick them up with fresh spinach leaves—that’s what happens when you combine the little pulses with large salad leaves!
Next, finish with juicy sundried tomatoes and savory shaved pecorino cheese; toss with a fresh lemon garlic dressing, and you’ll have a delish salad perfect for any occasion.
Serve with these irresistible Italian crostini, no-knead focaccia, super crusty panini bread, or breadsticks; it will surely be a hit. This spinach chickpea salad is also an excellent option for a packed lunch, especially with some grains, or an easy side dish for a BBQ or potluck.
It’s that good, so let’s do it!
List of the ingredients
- Chickpeas
- Spinach
- Sundried tomatoes
- Pecorino cheese
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Lemon
- Garlic
- Salt & pepper
How to make chickpea spinach salad
(Note: this is a quick description; the full recipe is at the bottom of the page)
- Place the dressing ingredients into a glass jar with a lid and shake until well emulsified.
- Place the spinach in a steam basket, add it to a pot filled with 1 inch of boiling water, and cook for 2-3 minutes until wilted but still green. Alternatively, microwave the spinach leaves on high for 1-2 minutes or until wilted and tender.
- Place the spinach, chickpeas, and sundried tomatoes in a salad bowl.
- Add the dressing, toss to combine, and finish with shaved pecorino cheese. This salad is delish with some Italian crostini or focaccia on the side!
recipe notes
Ingredients & substitutions
Chickpeas: In this easy salad recipe, we use canned chickpeas for convenience, but if you have the time to soak and cook your chickpeas, please do. The recipe works well also with cannellini beans and brown lentils instead of chickpeas.
Spinach: Pre-washed baby leaves are perfect for this salad; they are tender and save you time! Easy peasy. If you prefer to use spinach bundles, you need to remove the thicker stems and wash them well. If the spinach is quite mature, I suggest chopping it into smaller bites.
Sun-dried tomatoes: Good-quality sun-dried tomatoes submerged in oil are soft and flavorful. If you have any tomato leftovers, use them for this vibrant and versatile sun-dried tomato spread, or add them to pizza!
Pecorino cheese: Sharp and tasty, this hard Italian cheese adds flavor and saltiness. Parmesan cheese is a good substitution, too.
Dressing: We combine extra virgin olive oil with lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. It’s simple, fresh, and delicious.
Storage Tips
It’s best to eat spinach chickpea salad on the same day. If you keep it for longer, the spinach can release water and make the pecorino cheese soggy. But if you have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days – we still enjoy them. If you want to serve it at a dinner, you can make it ahead of time. Just remember to add the dressing and pecorino cheese right before serving.
More easy salad recipes you’ll love!
If you’re looking for more salads, check out all my vegan salads or more gorgeous holiday salads here. Below are a few of my family favs:
- Salad with grapes
- Cabbage salad with apples
- Arugula pear salad
- Beetroot salad
- Winter salad
- Artichoke salad
- Celery and parmesan salad
- Orange salad
- Beetroot orange salad
If you make this chickpea spinach salad or have a question, let me know by leaving a comment. I would love to hear from you! x
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Chickpea Spinach Salad
Ingredients
- 9oz (250 grams) Baby spinach, washed
- 1 can (15oz/400gr) chickpeas, rinsed and well-drained
- 6 (50 grams) Sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained and roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons Shaved pecorino cheese, or more if you like
Dressing
- 1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon Grated garlic, or a bit more if you like
- ¼ + ⅛ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Make the dressing: Place all the dressing ingredients in a glass jar with a lid and shake vigorously until well combined and emulsified. I used a heaped ¼ teaspoon of salt here, not ½ teaspoon, as pecorino cheese can be quite salty.
- Wilt the spinach on the stove: Fill a medium-sized pot with ½-inch water and boil. Add spinach to a basket steamer, place the basket inside the pot, cover, and steam for about 2-3 minutes or until just wilted but still bright green. Microwave option: Place the spinach leaves in a microwave-safe dish with 1 Tbsp of water and cover with a microwave-safe lid or plastic wrap, leaving a vent for the steam to escape. Microwave on high for 1-2 minutes, or until the leaves are wilted.
- Assamble: Drain the spinach and add it to a salad bowl. Add the chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, and the dressing. Toss gently to combine, and finish with shaved pecorino cheese. Serve at room temperature, garnished with fresh basil leaves (optional) and crusty bread or crostini.
