Roasted Chickpea Caesar Salad

Crunchy creamy chickpeas take the place of croutons in this Caesar salad tossed with a lemon parmesan dressing.

Why We Love This Recipe

The chickpeas add the perfect balance to this Caesar salad and are a welcome change from traditional croutons. They provide the crunch, saltiness, and an extra bite of parmesan cheese.

The chickpeas can easily be made ahead of time and tossed with the salad right before serving.

Ingredients

Chickpeas

• 15.5 oz. can chickpeas
• 2-1/2 tbsp finely grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt
• Cracked black pepper

Caesar Salad and Lemon Parmesan Dressing

• 2-3 heads of romaine lettuce
• Juice and zest from 1 lemon
• 1 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• Shaved parmesan strips for garnish

Let’s Make Roasted Chickpea Caesar Salad

Roasting Chickpeas

1. Heat oven to 400°.
2. Drain and rinse chickpeas until the water runs clear.
3. Pat and dry them on a paper towel.
4. Remove husks by gently rubbing them between your fingers. Discard husks.
5. In a small bowl, toss the chickpeas with 1 tbsp olive oil, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.
6. Roast for 10 minutes, stir, and return them to the oven for another 10 minutes.
7. Cool at room temperature.

Caesar Salad and Lemon Parmesan Dressing

1. Clean and chop romaine lettuce and set aside.
2. In a blender, add lemon juice, parmesan cheese, olive oil, mustard, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Blend until emulsified.
3. Place two tablespoons of dressing in a large bowl. Add lettuce and toss. Add more lettuce and continue to toss. Continue until the salad is fully dressed. The salad should be covered heavily with dressing.
4. Top with roasted chicken peas, garnish with parmesan shaved strips and enjoy.

Krazy Kitchen Mom Tips

1. Rinse the chickpeas thoroughly, until the water runs clear.
2. After patting them dry with a towel, gently rub them with the same towel to remove the husks. Next, rub each one to remove any husks, with your fingers, that did not come off during rubbing.
3. While the husks are edible, the chickpeas will turn out crispier without them.
4. For the salad dressing, I highly recommend using a block of parmesan cheese and shredding it yourself.

More KKM Salad Recipes

• Shrimp and Mango Salad
• Creamy Cucumber and Tomato Salad
• Italian Chopped Salad
• Grinder Chopped Salad
• Amish Macaroni Salad