Tomato, Chickpea and Feta Salad
The day that I prepared this salad for dinner it was one of those hot and humid days that just defies actually cooking anything. We planned a simple meal that only required turning on the BBQ and even that was only on for about 10 minutes. The food was fresh and we enjoyed our dinner outside where there was a bit of a breeze. It felt like a quintessential summer moment.
And then the rain started. Lucky for me, my family isn’t one to shy away from the rain and we continued our meal under the shelter of our table umbrella listening to the rain spatter and splash all around us. While it wasn’t the same kind of summer moment that it was when we started dinner, it was still perfect. I love the summer rain and being outside in it just brings back so many memories from childhood, when we’d quickly dress in our swimsuits so that we could run outside and splash in the puddles.
While this chickpea and tomato salad is not what I was eating in my childhood, it is perfect for any kind of summer weather – rain or shine. It’s also a salad that my kids love and it’s hearty enough that with a small piece of fish, it’s a full meal that is quick and requires almost no heat at all. Cheers!
Tomato, Chickpea, and Feta Salad
Adapted from Fine Cooking (by Melissa Pellegrino)
3 oz feta, cubed or crumbled
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
3 Tblsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp white wine vinegar
1 lb cherry, grape, or other small tomatoes, halved
1 15 oz can chickpeas
Salt and pepper
In a small bowl, mix together the feta, thyme, and oregano. Add 1 Tbs. of the oil and let sit while you prepare the rest of the salad. Put the tomatoes in a large bowl. Stir in the chickpeas and season with 1/4 tsp. salt and a few grinds black pepper. Add the remaining 2 Tbs. oil, the lemon juice and the vinegar. Stir in the feta, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve.The original recipe called for za’atar which, while fantastic, I don’t usually keep on hand. Instead, I substituted thyme and oregano and used some lemon juice in place of all of the white wine vinegar. While not exactly a replacement for the za’atar, I really enjoy how this salad tastes and can come together on a whim rather than holding out for the more rare ingredients.
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I adore feta cheese and chick peas together so I'm going to have to try this out! Yummy!
And of course — I totally forgot to mention that the salad can be served on a bed of arugula as you see in the top photo. This whole thing goes so great with arugula!
I'm not too fond about feta cheese, but your recipe looks delicious! Thanks for sharing it!
Oh YUM!! This looks delicious! I LOVE feta cheese and chick peas…will definitely be pinning this and trying it out
looks great – I love chickpeas, feta and tomatoes…never thought to put them together
I have never used chick peas before, but this recipe looks yummy!
So yummy! Anything with feta will be my favorite thing, but I had never thought of a chick-pea salad… definitely making this one!
Looks yummy! I am going to make this tonight!
Looks delicious, I have all the ingredients on hand with the exception of the feta…I think a trip to the store is in order, this would be perfect to have for dinner.
looks yummy, so funny that you carried on in the rain! lol you must have a big umbrella!
Delicious – the chick pease and feta really make this salad!