We’re still experiencing a lot of grocery shortages in the middle of this pandemic, but when I ventured out to the grocery store this week I noticed something. The produce department was very well stocked, while many of the shelf stable items were sold out. I presume that’s because people are afraid to buy perishables. So, that made me rethink my strategy. I’m going to focus on fresh ingredients for about a week after shopping, then transition into the more shelf stable recipes (like my 15 Pantry Staple Recipes) for the second week, or until my next grocery run. Besides, after eating so many pantry recipes over the past month, I’m craving fresh produce hard. So this week I grabbed some fresh parsley, cilantro, and a pint of tomatoes, and whipped up this SUPER easy Chimichurri Chickpea Salad.
…Because chimichurri is good on anything and everything. ;)
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How to Serve Chimichurri Chickpea Salad
This salad is the perfect side dish as the weather starts to warm up. I think this would go great with just about any type of grilled meat, or if you’re cooking inside I can see this matching well with dishes like Garlic Butter Baked Chicken Thighs, Herb Roasted Pork Loin, or Balsamic Chicken and Mushrooms.
If you want to turn this into a vegetarian meal, consider chopping up some pita or a crusty bread and stirring it right into the salad to make it like a Panzanella, or adding a few greens and a chopped hard boiled egg.
How to Use Leftover Parsley and Cilantro
Don’t let the rest of the parsley and cilantro go to waste after you make this salad! Parsley and cilantro are great in and on so many other dishes. This chickpea salad recipe uses a half batch of my basic Chimichurri recipe, but you could always make the full size batch and use half on this salad, then use the other half for dipping some crusty bread. That will use up more of your parsley and cilantro.
Here are some other great recipes for using parsley and cilantro:
Make sure to scroll down to the step by step photos to see how I store my leftover feta so it doesn’t go to waste!
Chimichurri Chickpea Salad
Servings 6 about 1 cup eachIngredients
Chimichurri
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley ($0.18)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro ($0.10)
- ¼ cup olive oil ($0.42)
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar ($0.20)
- 1 clove garlic, minced ($0.08)
- ½ tsp dried oregano ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
Salad
- 2 15oz. cans chickpeas ($0.98)
- 1 pint grape tomatoes ($1.69)
- 2 oz. feta ($1.09)
Instructions
- Make the chimichurri first. Rinse the fresh parsley and cilantro, then drain well. Roughly chop the parsley and cilantro, then add it to a bowl along with the olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, oregano, cumin, crushed red pepper, and salt. Stir to combine, then set the dressing aside.
- Rinse and drain both cans of chickpeas. Slice the grape tomatoes in half. Add the chickpeas and tomatoes to a large bowl. Crumble the feta, add it to the bowl, then drizzle the chimichurri over top. Stir to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat (up to four days).
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Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Chimichurri Chickpea Salad – Step by Step Photos
Make the chimichurri first. Rinse and drain the fresh parsley and cilantro. Roughly chop the parsley and cilantro, you’ll need ½ cup parsley (about ¼ bunch) and about ¼ cup cilantro (a big handful). Add them to the bowl along with 1 minced clove of garlic, ¼ cup olive oil, 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar, ½ tsp dried oregano, ¼ tsp ground cumin, ⅛ tsp crushed red pepper, and ¼ tsp salt.
Stir the ingredients together and now you have chimichurri! Set the chimichurri aside.
Rinse and drain 2 15oz. cans of chickpeas. Slice 1 pint of grape tomatoes in half. Crumble 2oz. feta. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, and feta to a bowl, then pour the chimichurri over top.
Stir to combine and it’s ready to eat! Or refrigerate for up to 4 days.
I like to buy my feta in a block, as opposed to pre-crumbled, because it’s easier to save for later. I cut the block into quarters first (right through the plastic) because I usually use about 2oz. per recipe. I then place the rest of the block, still in the original plastic, inside a freezer bag, then inside a re-usable freezer container. I can take out one 2oz. block at a time to use whenever needed!
I have a bad(?) habit of making this for lunches, but then eating the whole thing within about 24 hours. So good. Perfect balance of flavorful, light, healthy, and quick.
Definitely on my salad list.
Easy to make and so good!! Perfect for a summertime side ! I did omit the cilantro because I have an aversion to it, but it was still super flavorful and I know I’ll be making this again and again!!
I could eat this every day, multiple times a day
This is legit! I’d never heard of chimichurri before but it’s super good.
I know it was intended to be cold, but I ended up quick-frying the cherry tomatoes in a pan with some olive oil and salt just because I really like them that way and I think it gives it an amazing flavor! Also, I ate this for breakfast with a fried egg on top and a piece of whole grain toast at the bottom to soak everything up. I highly recommend people try it!! I’m in love.
Ooh, that sounds yummy.
I feel like I could add some red or orange bell pepper to this recipe, maybe over some butter lettuce.