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This Crispy Quinoa & Chickpea Salad is so delicious. Complete with quinoa, chickpeas, and a pear and fennel salad for a pop of flavor. This salad is a tasty side dish, or even a main course for a healthy lunch. It looks impressive, it’s easy-to-make, but it’s so tasty.
Why You’ll Love Crispy Quinoa & Chickpea Salad
- Easy: This Crispy Quinoa & Chickpea Salad is so easy to make. Prep it in 20 minutes
- Healthy: This recipe is made with healthy ingredients full of vitamins and minerals
- Flavorful: The pear and fennel salad really gives this salad a POP of flavor that’s to die for
Ingredients
Fennel – Fennel has a very mild anise flavor so it’s not everyone’s favorite taste but I find it pairs so nicely when mixed with other ingredients. It’s also good for you. Full of antioxidant compounds that help fight cell damage, and so many other health risks.
Maria Koutsogiannia
Maria is the creator of FoodByMaria and your go-to Greek food expert for cozy, flavor-packed recipes. Inspired by her Mediterranean roots, she brings traditional Greek flavors, feel-good ingredients, and a whole lot of joy to everyday cooking.
Chickpeas – Chickpeas are so good for you. They can help with digestion because they are high in fiber, and can even help with lowering cholesterol, your risk of cancer, and so much more. They are great to toss in a bowl, soup, stew or salad.
How to Make Crispy Quinoa & Chickpea Salad
- Preheat the oven to 425F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
For the quinoa
- Cook the grains according to package instructions. Set aside.
- After the quinoa is cooked, add it to one of the baking sheets along with the pressed garlic, salt, pepper, chili flakes, olive oil, lemon juice and lemon zest. Toss to combine and then flatten out into a single layer on the pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the quinoa is starting to crisp up. Set aside when done.
For the chickpeas
- To another large sheet pan lined with parchment paper add the drained/rinsed chickpeas, olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss to combine and bake fro 20-25 minutes or until crispy *if it fits in the oven while the quinoa is baking, add this pan to the oven at the same time* Set aside when done.
For the pear fennel salad
- Assemble the pear salad by making the dressing – whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. To a medium bowl add the sliced pear, sliced fennel, parsley, cilantro and walnuts. Toss with the dressing.
Assemble the final dish
- Finally, assemble the final dish – to a large serving platter or bowl spread the greek yogurt on the bottom and then top with the baked grains and finally the pear-fennel salad.
Tips and Tricks
- To save time on preparing this salad, make the crispy quinoa ahead of time.
- If you like this salad, try Quinoa + Edamame Salad with Creamy Mango Dressing
Substitutions
- Chickpeas: You can definitely make this salad with white beans instead of chickpeas
- Pear: Pear is so lovely with the fennel in this recipe but if you prefer you can try apple instead
- Walnuts: Walnuts can be left out to make this nut free or you can use pecans instead
Best served with
How to Store Leftovers
This salad is best served fresh but you could prepare the chickpeas and quinoa ahead of time, then prepare the fennel and pear salad when you’re ready-to-eat.
Common Questions
Any pear would be great but the best varieties are Anjou, Bosc, Bartlett and Comice.
Cook the quinoa like normal than put it on a baking sheet to bake until crispy. It adds a nice texture to salads.
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Ingredients
For the quinoa
- 1 cup dry quinoa, cooked
- 3 garlic cloves, pressed
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp chili flakes
- ¼ cup olive oil
- juice of 1 lemon
- zest from 1 lemon
For the chickpeas
- 19oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
For the pear fennel salad
- 2 ripe pears, sliced thin (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 large fennel, sliced thin
- 2 tbsp fresh minced parsley
- 2 tbsp fresh minced cilantro
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
Instructions
Start Cooking- Preheat the oven to 425F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
For the quinoa
- Cook the grains according to package instructions. Set aside.
- After the quinoa is cooked, add it to one of the baking sheets along with the pressed garlic, salt, pepper, chili flakes, olive oil, lemon juice and lemon zest. Toss to combine and then flatten out into a single layer on the pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the quinoa is starting to crisp up. Set aside when done.
For the chickpeas
- To another large sheet pan lined with parchment paper add the drained/rinsed chickpeas, olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss to combine and bake for 20-25 minutes or until crispy *if it fits in the oven while the quinoa is baking, add this pan to the oven at the same time* Set aside when done.
For the pear fennel salad
- Assemble the pear salad by making the dressing – whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. To a medium bowl add the sliced pear, sliced fennel, parsley, cilantro and walnuts. Toss with the dressing.
Assemble the final dish
- Finally, assemble the final dish – to a large serving platter or bowl spread the greek yogurt on the bottom and then top with the baked grains and finally the pear-fennel salad.
Notes
- To save time on preparing this salad, make the crispy quinoa ahead of time.
- If you like this salad, try Quinoa + Edamame Salad with Creamy Mango Dressing
14 people are discussing this recipe. Join in
The best!!!!
thank you so much!
Soo delicious!! Unique combination of flavors, very satisfying, will be making often!
thank you so much, Kelly!
So delicious! So satisfying!
thank you so much hunnie!!!
OMG! So good!!! I’m always looking for a unique recipe and this one really surprised me. I was hesitant with the greek yogurt as the base, fennel and pear mixed, but all the flavors together made my tastebuds sing. This would be perfect for a dinner party. I served alongside yogurt marinated chicken. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
thank you so much hun
I love a salad that is different from the basics. Boy, this one didn’t disappoint. It was an explosion of tastes and textures. Absolutely loved it!
Thank you so much for the love, Helen!!!!
Amazing recipe right in time for the fall!
Thank you so much hun!
Delicious
Thank you!!!