Simple Italian Chickpea Salad

Italians love their chickpeas and this simple and classic Italian chickpea salad is a great example of that. With fresh tomatoes, onions, olive oil and Italian parsley, this easy chickpea salad is the perfect summer salad and it is so easy to make. Serve it with a side of ciabatta garlic bread or with crispy Italian fried eggplant or Italian seared tuna steaks for a complete meal everyone will love.

I, like many Italians, love a good meal or side dish that is made with beans. Maybe you have tried our fagioli all'uccelletto (beans and tomatoes), baked cannellini beans or white bean bruschetta, entire meals that are essentially Italian baked beans and so good.

Unlike some of those dishes which are slow cooked in the oven and take a bit of time, this Italian chickpea salad can be made in minutes because it uses canned chickpeas and only a few ingredients. It stores really well in the fridge so it makes a great make-ahead side dish as well (the way I like to use it!)

Although these are called chickpeas (or garbanzo beans) they are actually a bean or legume and so delicious. So, if you are looking for a tasty and healthy meal to make with chickpeas, this is the recipe for you.

Ingredients needed

There are only a few ingredients you will need to make this Italian garbanzo bean salad:

• Canned chickpeas. Also called garbanzo beans. I use canned chickpeas for this recipe but you could certainly use dried chickpeas and cook them yourself.
• Fresh tomatoes. This simple chickpea salad relies on the freshest of ingredients so make sure you are using only very ripe tomatoes if you can.
• Italian parsley. Italians use fresh Italian parsley in so many dishes. You may not think of using it but it really does add a touch of freshness to dishes along with color. You eat with your eyes first!
• Red Onion.
• Olive oil. You can use regular olive oil or extra virgin.
• Kosher salt.

How To Make Italian Chickpea Salad

This recipe is really so simple that I probably do not even need to write out the steps here. Just in case, here it is:

1. Prepare the chickpeas. This Italian chickpea salad recipe uses canned chickpeas to make it easy. You want to make sure you rinse the chickpeas well since they will be sitting in a brine.
2. Chop the ingredients. Here you chop the onions, parsley, and tomatoes.
3. Toss it all together. Add all of the ingredients to a bowl including the olive oil and salt and gently toss it together.
4. Let it sit. This Italian chickpea salad tastes best if you allow it to sit out covered on the counter for about 15-30 minutes before eating it. You can let it sit even longer if you prefer.

If you want to add even more flavor to this Italian chickpea salad, you could make a quick, lemon and garlic shrimp, sherry shallot dressing or whipped lemon ricotta which pairs so well with these ingredients.

Recipe Faqs

Variations

This salad is perfect as is but that doesn't mean you can't change things up a bit. Here are some of my favorite ways to do this:

• Add in more veggies! Chopped red and green bell peppers are always delicious. maybe artichoke hearts or hearts of palm. If I have it, I like to add in some chopped arugula or lettuce as well.
• Add some cheese. If you want to make a more substantial meal out of this, add in some burrata, fresh mozzarella or cubes of provolone.
• Add protein! Sometimes I like to grill chicken or shrimp and toss that into the salad.
• Cook your own garbanzo beans! There is no question that home-cooked beans are so good. I do love to do this when I have the time. if you have time, feel free to cook your own beans at home. You can use my Italian baked beans recipe for cooking times.

Storing

This chickpea salad is the perfect make-ahead meal because it stores so well. This dish can be stored in an air-tight container (you don't want onions smelling up the fridge) in the fridge for up to one week.

I love snacking on it for a quick meal doing this.

What To Serve With Chickpeas

If you want some ideas of what to serve with this Italian chickpea salad, here are some ideas for you:

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