Elevate your salad game with our irresistible Curry Quinoa Chickpea Salad. Bursting with vibrant flavors and wholesome ingredients, this salad is a nutritional powerhouse that combines the earthy goodness of quinoa with the protein-packed punch of chickpeas. Infused with aromatic curry spices and fresh vegetables, each bite delivers a delightful explosion of taste and texture. This deliciously healthy vegan salad is gluten-free, oil-free, and soy-free.
This curry quinoa chickpea salad is one of my quick, easy go-to meals. I'll often make it when I have leftover quinoa. When I do, preparing this takes only 15 minutes to whip up. I love eating this for lunch because not only do I feel satisfied, but I feel energized. Don't limit this to lunch; it also makes a lovely light dinner.
Pile those mixed salad greens high! There's so much nutrient goodness in these dark, leafy salad greens. I think sometimes our minds believe that just because it's so huge, it must be "too much food." When eating fresh veggies, like salad greens, baby spinach, kale, arugula, etc.—load up because the antioxidants, phytochemicals, water content, and fiber are high, while the calorie density (number of calories for a given weight of food) is low. All of this can help you to restore health and lose weight.
What you need to make this curry quinoa chickpea salad
- Quinoa
- Mixed baby greens, baby spinach, arugula, or chopped kale
- Onion
- Bell pepper
- Garlic
- Curry powder (yellow)
- Chickpeas
- Lemon
- Fresh cilantro (or parsley)
- Avocado
- Pumpkin seeds
How to Prepare
- Place the quinoa and water in a small pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until all the water is absorbed—about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, let sit, and fluff with a fork.
- Dry sauté onion, bell pepper, and garlic for 2–4 minutes, adding a dash of water if they stick to the pan.
- Stir in curry powder, then one cup of quinoa and chickpeas. Turn off heat and salt and pepper to taste.
- Prepare a large bowl or plate of mixed baby greens, baby spinach, or chopped kale. Pile it high!
- Add the warmed (or chilled) chickpea and quinoa mixture to the salad greens, and dress with fresh lemon (or lime) juice. Top with fresh herbs, sliced avocado, and pumpkin seeds.
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While I love this salad with just lemon juice and creamy avocado, the Tahini Garlic Lemon Dressing and Oil Free Balsamic Dressing are excellent additions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftover chickpea quinoa mixture separate from the baby salad greens to prevent them from going limp and mushy. The chickpea quinoa mixture keeps well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freezing is not recommended.
Eating chickpeas and other beans, as well as peas and lentils, is good for weight loss. Beans are high in fiber and protein, while being low in fat. This aids in weight loss because the fiber and protein help you to feel fuller, without adding excessive calories from fat. The fiber in chickpeas and other beans also influences gut health through the production of short chain fatty acids that can influence your hunger and satiety hormones further aiding in weight loss. If you want to learn more about the role of fiber in gut health and weight loss, check out the book Fiber Fueled.
Canned chickpeas provide a fast, convenient alternative to cooking dried beans. Canned chickpeas are a healthy option if they are low in sodium. It's also recommended to choose BPA (bisphenol A)-free canned beans whenever possible due to potential toxicity concerns. If, however, you prefer dried beans (trust me, they are wonderful!), check out How to Cook Dried Beans.
We hope you love this healthy and light curry quinoa chickpea salad as much as we do. Please rate and leave a comment below. Be sure to share a picture on Instagram and tag us @danielsplaterecipes so we can see your creation!
Curry Quinoa Chickpea Salad
Ingredients
- ½ cup quinoa dry
- 1 cup water
- 4 to 5 cups mixed baby greens baby spinach, or chopped kale
- ½ onion diced
- ½ bell pepper diced (red, orange, yellow or green)
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 2 tsp yellow curry powder
- 1 15- ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed (or 1 ½ cups of cooked chickpeas)
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice
- 1 Tbsp fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped
- ½ avocado sliced
- 1 Tbsp pumpkin seeds
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place quinoa and water into a small pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until all the water is absorbed—about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, let sit and fluff with a fork.
- Dry sauté onion, bell pepper, and garlic for 2–4 minutes, adding a dash of water if they stick to the pan.
- Stir in curry powder, then the cooked quinoa and chickpeas. Turn off heat and salt and pepper to taste.
- Prepare a large bowl or plate of mixed baby greens, baby spinach, or chopped kale. Pile it high!
- Add the warmed (or chilled) chickpea and quinoa mixture to the salad greens, and dress with fresh lemon (or lime) juice. Top with fresh herbs, sliced avocado, and pumpkin seeds.
- Optional: If you want it more "saucy," add Tahini Lemon Garlic Dressing or Oil Free Balsamic Dressing
Notes
EQUIPMENT / SUPPLIES
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- Can opener (for canned chickpeas)
- Skillet
- Cooking spoon
Leslie Dunbar
So this is my third review of a Daniel’s Plate recipe and I just can’t stop raving about how delicious and clean these recipes are!! This dish is delicious warm or cold! Please give it a try, you won’t regret it!!