Chickpea Caesar Salad is a veggie packed tuna-like salad that is coated in a homemade easy Caesar dressing that’s perfect for lettuce wraps, a sandwich, or eaten with crackers. 

Every now and then I get a hankering for tuna salad.

I never buy tuna though.

Like, ever.

I do however have a constant supply of cans of beans.

I remembered my friend Jenn made this epic chickpea salad and I wanted something like that instead of tuna.

The shocking thing to this recipe is that the chickpeas, when sort of smashed up, kind of taste like canned, flaky tuna.

Don’t look at me like that.

Try it and you’ll see.

The next thing about this recipe is that Caesar dressing.

Traditional Caesar dressing is made with raw eggs.

I didn’t want to mess with raw eggs, so I used mayo as a base.

If you’re looking for a vegan Caesar to go with this veggie based salad, follow this link.

The dressing includes the following:

• anchovies
• mayo
• lemon juice
• fresh dill
• capers
• garlic
• Parmesan cheese
• Worcestershire sauce
• salt & pepper
• a little EVOO

I really like the dill with the briney capers and anchovies. It adds a good punch of flavor to the chickpea Caesar salad.

Chickpea Caesar salad comes together with red onion, fresh dill, celery, capers, and some banana peppers for a little kick.

You could add more veggies like shredded carrots or diced cucumber.

I like to leave those out to allow for more sandwich toppings.

Mike made a chickpea salad sandwich melt.

It’s a good way to keep some of the chickpeas from rolling out of the bread.

Make a batch of the salad at the start of the week and eat it with veggies or crackers as a snack lunch throughout the week.

Like I said above, this recipe is adaptable and you can easily swap out this Caesar dressing for the vegan one if needed.

Happy snacking!

Chickpea Caesar Salad

Yield: makes 4 Sandwiches

Smashed chickpeas mixed together with red onion, celery, capers, dill, banana peppers, and a homemade easy Caesar salad dressing.

Print

Ingredients

• FOR THE SALAD:
• 1, 14.5 oz can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped dill
• 1 tbsp capers
• 3 banana peppers, chopped
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• FOR THE CAESAR DRESSING:
• 3/4 cup mayo
• 2 anchovies
• 1 tbsp capers and liquid
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped dill
• juice from 1 lemon
• 1 tsp Worcestershire
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes/pepper

Instructions

1. Add the dressing ingredients to a food processor. Puree until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
2. Add the chickpeas to a medium mixing bowl. Use a fork to mash half of the chickpeas. Add the celery, onion, capers, banana peppers, dill, and parmesan cheese to the bowl. Toss together with a fork.
3. Mix in about 1/4 cup of the dressing at a time. Keep adding more to your taste depending on how much dressing you like.
4. Serve the salad with crackers or sliced cucumbers. Serve on toasted bread with lettuce, tomato, and cucumber. Be sure to top with extra dressing and more Parmesan cheese.
5. Store the salad in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Ball Wide Mouth Pint 16-Ounce Glass Mason Jar with Lids and Bands, 12-Count