This Tomato, Cucumber and Chickpea Salad is a delicious summer staple made with fresh tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, chickpeas, red onion, and green bell pepper all tossed with a bright lemon vinaigrette! Easy, healthy and the perfect side dish with grilled chicken, fish or steak!
I am ALL about tomatoes in the summer and this tomato, cucumber and chickpea salad is one of my favorites for summer entertaining! I literally make this almost every time we have people over to grill out at our house because it is always such a big hit. Not only does it look so pretty and vibrant on the table, but it also tastes amazing. All you need are a few simple ingredients to throw this together so it’s a quick and easy side dish when you don’t have a lot of time. I mean there is nothing more refreshing on a hot summer day than crisp cold veggies that you can feel good about eating because it’s low in calories, packed with protein and fiber, and full of so much flavor.
Why You’ll Love this Salad
- This salad is light, fresh and healthy!
- Super simple to throw together with minimal ingredients that are probably already in your fridge or pantry.
- Can easily be prepped ahead of time for quick assembly and meal prep.
- Perfect salad to feed a crowd.
- Zero cooking required!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- tomatoes – I like to use grape tomatoes (or you could use cherry tomatoes) in this salad because they aren’t as watery as larger tomatoes tend to be when you slice them.
- cucumber – I like to use English cucumbers as they are seedless and tend to be less watery and more crunchy than regular cucumbers, but mini cucumbers work great too.
- chickpeas – I used canned chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) which are a great source of protein in this salad, just make sure to drain and rinse the chickpeas.
- bell pepper – I used a green bell pepper, but any color bell pepper will work in this salad.
- red onion – adds a nice savory flavor to this salad as well as a good crunch!
- lemony dressing – simple and delicious mixture of extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, and salt. A little dijon mustard added to the dressing is also a great addition and adds a little zip!
How to Make Tomato, Cucumber and Chickpea Salad
- Chop veggies and herbs. This might be the most time-consuming part, but trust me this salad is worth it! Slice your tomatoes, cucumbers, green bell pepper, red onion, and fresh parsley and add them to a large bowl along with the chickpeas.
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl or mason jar, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic and cumin and mix or shake until dressing is emulsified.
- Toss the salad. Pour the dressing on top of the salad and toss everything together until all the veggies are nicely coated. Let the salad sit for about 10 minutes (or up to an hour) to allow the veggies to soak up all that delicious flavor! Taste and season with additional salt and black pepper, as needed, and enjoy!
What to Serve with Tomato, Cucumber and Chickpea Salad
The great thing about this chickpea tomato salad is that it can be served with a whole variety of dishes! Here are some of my favorite ways to serve up this salad:
- Mix in a protein such as chicken, shrimp or steak and serve it as a main dish. You could even whip up some extra dressing and marinate the chicken in it (highly recommend this!) This salad is one of my favorite side dishes when grilling in the summer or when packing for a picnic or potluck!
- Serve alongside these chicken kabobs or these Mediterranean meatballs.
- Make it creamy with some chopped avocado or crumbled feta cheese.
- Throw this Greek salad in a wrap or gyro and drizzle with some tzatziki sauce.
- Perfect side dish to pizza, soups, warm pita bread or sandwiches.
Prepping and Storage
To Make Ahead: To prep this salad ahead of time, toss all the veggies together and store them in a separate container from the salad dressing in the fridge to prevent the veggies from getting to soggy, however I do like to allow this salad to marinate for about 30 minutes before serving.
To Store: This salad can be stored in a sealed, airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Substitutions and Variations
- Switch up the protein. The chickpeas in this salad are a great source of protein, but feel free to throw in some shredded or grilled chicken, shrimp or steak.
- More veggies. Add in some additional veggies like chopped zucchini, corn or carrots and you could even add in other fresh herbs such as basil, cilantro, dill or oregano along with the parsley for a different type of flavor.
- Add some grains. Toss in some cooked quinoa, farro or rice for a more filling salad and you could even make Mediterranean bowls with this.
- Other additions. Make it creamier by adding in some feta cheese, goat cheese or avocado and you can also add in some Kalamata olives for a more Greek flavor.
- Need some sweetness? Mix in a little honey or maple syrup in with the dressing before tossing with the salad for a little sweetness.
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More Chickpea Salad Recipes
- Mediterranean Chopped Salad
- Arugula Salad with Honey Roasted Chickpeas
- Roasted Chickpea Kale Salad
- Mediterranean Mason Jar Salads
- Lemony Chickpea Tuna Salad
Hope you all enjoy this Tomato, Cucumber and Chickpea Salad and if you love this as much as we do, please leave me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny! I love seeing all your delicious recreations!
Tomato, Cucumber and Chickpea Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups grape tomatoes, sliced
- 2 cups cucumber, diced
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 red onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For the dressing:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine sliced tomatoes, cucumber, chickpeas, red onion, green bell pepper and set aside.
- In a small bowl or mason jar, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, cumin and salt, and mix or shake well until dressing is emulsified.
- Pour the dressing on top of the salad, add in the fresh parsley, and toss everything together until all the veggies are nicely coated. Let the salad sit for about 10 minutes (or up to an hour) to allow the veggies to soak up all that delicious flavor! Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, as needed, and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This looks AMAZING. I’m making this as soon as I get home.
this looks soooo delicious!! I want to make it right now!
You’re a riot, Kelly – love your writing! This salad looks amazing, too! So colorful, wholesome and fresh. Yummy!
You’re totally going to dominate the bikini season! This looks amazing. Not a huge tomato fan (I know — you’re probably just going to stop reading at this point, lol) but I DO like them in salads like this!
This looks great, I’ve just never tried chickpeas before so it makes me nervous to buy something I don’t know if I’ll like! Haha.
I may just go ahead and bite the bullet with this recipe though!
This looks so light and delicious! I have to put on a bikini this week so I wish I would have started a work out routine like you mentioned much sooner! 😉
Simplicity at it’s best! A lot like my “Cowboy Caviar” recipe but different.
Must try.
Yum! I am absolutely trying this and just pinned it. 🙂 I love your pretty plates too, by the way.
Stellar! A lot like my “Cowboy Caviar” recipe but different. Must try!
Yum! I love this variation on something I make all the time 🙂 I usually throw together spinach leaves, chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumbers and drizzle with lime juice. I’m def trying your version now- I’m with you that I could eat tomatoes ALL the time! 🙂