This huge bowl salad has so many great flavors: Harissa crunchy chickpeas are the star but there are also sweet peppers, spinach, onions, feta, fresh mint, and a savory sweet tahini dressing. It’s a BIG salad and feeds a crowd or makes great lunches!
Ingredients
Tahini Dressing
¼cuptahini
2tablespoonsrice vinegar
2tablespoonshoney
1tablespoonfresh lemon juice
¼cupolive oil
Pinchof salt and pepper
Salad Basics:
215 oz. cans chickpeas, drained and dried
1tablespoonharissa
2tablespoonsolive oil
¼teaspoonkosher salt
¼teaspoonblack pepper
5ouncesbaby spinach
½red onion, sliced thin
6small sweet peppers, sliced thin
6oz.feta cheese, crumbled
Fresh mint, garnish
Instructions
For the dressing:
Combine ingredients in a mixing bowl until smooth. The dressing should be relatively thin, but coat the back of a spoon. If it is too thick, you can thin it out with a drizzle of warm water. Taste the dressing and adjust with salt and pepper to your liking. It should be savory and sweet and tangy from the lemon and vinegar.
For the crispy chickpeas:
Drain chickpeas and dry them well. Then toss dried chickpeas with olive oil, salt, pepper, and harissa spice. Add to a skillet over medium heat and cook for 5-6 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the chickpeas are browned in spots and crunchy. Remove chickpeas from heat and let cool.
Assembling the salad:
In a large bowl, add the baby spinach, which I like to lightly chop. Top with cooled chickpeas, sliced red onion, sliced peppers, crumbled feta, and fresh mint. If you are serving the salad right away, drizzle with dressing and toss to combine. If you are storing for later, dress right before serving.
Salad will keep really well in the fridge for 4-5 days without the dressing. If it is dressed, it will keep for 2-3 days.