Oven roasted crunchy chickpeas are the perfect healthy salad topping and a quick and easy way to add protein to your meal.
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After I conducted extensive research by shouting from the rooftops how much I love salad, I have realized how much people…..don’t love salads.
And it left me shocked….flabbergasted….that people don’t love salad. They consume salad out of compliance, even serve it as an afterthought because “it’s healthy and you need some ruffage.” And it’s true; for many folks, salad is unceremoniously prepared and plopped in a bowl, then plopped on your plate.
But people of the universe! It doesn’t have to be this way.
Hello it’s me with a PSA that you can and should enjoy your salads.
You’ll Love Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas!
It all begins with these Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas that are super easy to make. My kids fight over them…live for them…because they are crispy crunchy. Chickpeas are high in protein; adding extra nutrition to any lunch or dinner salad. Most of our weeknight meals are plant based and roasted crunchy chickpeas supply that extra protein boost. This recipe is SO EASY that I make it every night to toss into my dinner salad. For this recipe, chickpeas are rinsed, patted VERY dry, then roasted in spices, olive oil and salt on a cookie sheet. (PS- these cookie sheets are the best one’s I’ve ever used I have them in every size they are incredible.) That’s it! Easy peasy!
I roast up many different flavors of crunchy chickpeas, but for this recipe, I used zaatar from New York Shuk as the main flavor profile. You can swap out your spices depending on the flavor profile of your salad/what your serving. Try other spices like shawarma seasoning, curry powder, or even a simple combination of garlic powder, smoked paprika, cumin, and chili powder works well.
Easy Tips To Create The Perfect Salad:
An enticing salad can consist of “everything but the kitchen sink” or be really curated. It’s what your heart, and the contents of your fridge, desires. My top favorite salads are My Ultimate Summer Salad, Shaved Brussel Sprout Salad, Obsessively Delicious Corn Avocado Salad and the incredibly popular Almost Ran’s Perfect Moroccan Carrot Salad.
But most nights for a quick and easy dinner, salads consist of thinly sliced lettuce, radishes, sugar snap peas, cucumber, tomatoes, avocado. and crunchy chickpeas.
In all of these salads, you will notice that ingredients are thinly sliced (including the lettuce). Salads are all about texture. No one wants to eat a giant, whole spinach leaf or an ungainly chunk of lettuce or cucumber.
Yes, my friends…it’s true.
Size really does matter.
Regardless of what veggies you add to your salad, adding texture to your salad is key. Topping any salad with Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas is the easiest and most delicious way to transform your basic salad and give it that wow factor.
Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 1 can (15.5 oz) Chickpeas Heavily rinsed, drained, and completely dried in a tea towel
- 1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon zaatar seasoning
- ¼-½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- large pinch chili powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 415 °F. You can use the convection setting if you have it.
- In a colander, thoroughly rinse chickpeas then pour them onto a clean dish towel.
- Gently pat the chickpeas dry with the dishtowel. They must be as dry as possible.
- Line a small cookie sheet (9×13 works great) with parchment paper.
- Pour the dried chickpeas onto the parchment paper in a pile. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and toss the chickpeas to fully coat them.
- Add the cumin, garlic powder, kosher salt, zaatar seasoning, smoked paprika and chili powder and toss the chickpeas to fully and evenly coat them in the spices. Spread the chickpeas out on the cookie sheet in an even layer.
- Put the cookie sheet in the oven for roughly 15-20 minutes until the chickpeas are fully roasted and nice and crunchy. Halfway through baking, give the chickpeas a stir. (Be careful! Sometimes one or two have a tendency to explode while roasting! You may here a few pops here and there.)
- Remove the chickpeas from the oven and allow them to cool for roughly 8-10 minutes before enjoying.
- Add them to your salad right before serving so they don't get soggy from the moisture in the salad and salad dressing.
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