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. ;)
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
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!
This was so delicious!! I wanted to lick my bowl clean. Wish I had left overs. I also added 1/2 cup quinoa and it was the best. Thank you so much for these amazing recipes!! Next time I will double the recipe :)
I make a salad very similar to this but use fresh basil (when I have it) and red onion. It’s been a go to staple for me during stay at home. I am going to have to try this with chimichurri for change.
This salad looks delicious!! I love chimichurri but have never thought of putting it on something other than meat. Great idea! I can’t wait to try.
Just made this tonight for a virtual potluck in the morning. Tasted great, but will taste amazing after being in the fridge overnight! Thanks for the recipe.
I wanted to use up some leftover parsley and cilantro from a few other budget bytes recipes. I had some dried chickpeas (about half pound cooked in small crockpot on high for 3-4 hours with 3.5 cups of water) in my pantry and some leftover tomatoes from a salad. I decided to whip this up to use up some of these leftover ingredients. WOW, this is wonderful and I bet it will taste even better when it has a chance to sit and absorb the flavors. I’ll keep this in mind when it gets scorching hot in the summer.
I made this and served it to friends and was like – meh, this is good but not awesome. There were leftovers and I put them in the fridge.
Then the next morning I took a bite while my coffee was brewing and thought “OMG WHERE HAS THIS BEEN ALL MY LIFE????????”
So make this: MAKE THIS RIGHT NOW!! And then let it sit overnight in your fridge and serve it cold the next day to EVERYONE YOU KNOW and they’ll love you and bring you gifts.
Honest.
I’m making more for tomorrow because I ate every last bite for breakfast!!!!
Yes! Fresh produce is in abundance and I’m super, super thankful for it. I just buy whatever can last the longest. I find that almost most green veggies will perk up if I soak them in ice-cold water! I don’t fret much if my veggies look a bit sad — will end up eating them anyway. :D
Definitely want to try it but will have to leave out the cilantro as 2 members of the family possess the “cilantro gene” (to them it tastes like soap).
Actually I have never seen a recipe for Chimichurri that did have cilantro in it….
My husband also thinks cilantro tastes like soap. I learned if I dice it and squeeze it in a paper towel or tea towel the soap tastes goes away.
If you want to know what to do with extra parsley, you could always make extra chimmichurri and freeze it. I have done so, and it freezes beautifully, and keeps a very long time. Freeze it in a ziplock bag, and lay it flat until its frozen, and you should be able to break off chunks of the chimmichurri if you don’t want to thaw the whole batch at once.
You can also store a block of feta in a container with a little water (removing the original packaging, of course, if it’s wrapped in plastic). Feta will last much longer with some water. I buy mine in a container with brine.
This was a really nice variation on the standard salad I usually make. I failed to rinse the beans but it still turned out great. Only problem is I made the full recipe and I’m single and live alone. I gotta get busy eating this!
Amazing! I made this yesterday and have eaten it with naan for lunch two days in a row and will probably continue until it’s gone. Thanks for the many foods you introduce me to. I appreciate you!
It’s not so much that people don’t want produce as that the supply chains for fresh produce moves faster. They have to restock the veggies so much more frequently in normal times, so they’re already set up with frequent deliveries. Meanwhile how often does a store need a new delivery of yeast during normal times? The pantry staples can sit longer so they can get deliveries less often. Ramping up the deliveries now that there is increased demand for pantry items is tougher.
Quick question please! Do you store the feta in the fridge or in the freezer? Im assuming the fridge since you did not mention how to thaw. But just want to make sure. Thank you in advance. My family and I LOVE your recipes and tips. We’ve directed many people to your site!!!
Store it in the refrigerator. I typically keep it in the meat/cheese drawer.
Oh, this looks SO. GOOD!!! I am also really craving fresh If there are any Trader Joe’s fanatics, their “zhoug” sauce is a good sub for chimichurri (and is also delicious on everything).