Chopped Salad With Chickpeas, Feta and Avocado

Chopped Salad With Chickpeas, Feta and Avocado
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(5,801)
Notes
Read community notes

Like any good chopped salad, the lettuce here is in equal balance with the other ingredients, making this a great choice for those who are less than enthusiastic about leafy greens. Creamy feta and avocado mingle with briny olives and capers while cucumbers and finely chopped romaine provide crunch. Use this recipe as a template for making the most of ingredients you have on hand; radishes, cherry tomatoes or diced onion would all be welcome here. The same flexibility applies for the croutons: Stale bread works, of course, but even leftover hot dog buns, pita bread or oyster crackers become excellent little croutons when toasted in the oven.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • 2cups small (½-inch) diced stale bread, buns or pita (about 3 to 4 ounces)
  • 6tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 1romaine heart, quartered lengthwise and sliced crosswise into ½-inch pieces
  • 1(15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed
  • 1medium (or ½ large) English cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded and diced
  • ½cup pitted Castelvetrano or other green olives, roughly chopped (about 3 ounces)
  • cup thinly sliced scallions (about 2 scallions)
  • 2tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1tablespoon drained capers, roughly chopped
  • 1tablespoon minced shallots
  • ¼teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1firm-ripe avocado, halved, pitted and diced
  • ¾cup diced or crumbled feta cheese (about 4 ounces)
  • ¼cup chopped fresh herbs, such as dill, basil, mint or parsley, plus more for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

407 calories; 27 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 16 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 33 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 11 grams protein; 737 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the diced bread on a sheet pan, drizzle lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss, then bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until well toasted. Set aside to cool.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, place the romaine pieces in a large mixing bowl, along with the chickpeas, cucumber, olives and scallions.

  3. Step 3

    In a small bowl, whisk together 6 tablespoons olive oil with the vinegar, capers, shallots, mustard, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and whisk well. Pour enough dressing over the salad to moisten; toss well. Add the avocado, feta and herbs and toss gently, adding more dressing to taste. Top with the croutons and a generous sprinkle of herbs and serve.

Ratings

5 out of 5
5,801 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

This was a hit. It tasted so delicious and I want to make it again. If I were to make it again I would make some changes. 1. I would double the avocado 2. I would double the capers 3. I would eat it with a spork so you could catch the chickpeas and capers along with everything else 4. I served with tongs but it should be served with a spoon 5.I would add way more feta Anyways, those are some changes I would make but it is delicious on its own. (I am 10 years old)

Loved it! Instead of red wine vinegar, I used a fresh lime....oooh, smacking my lips! The lime lifts the flavors up substantially. Also, used zucchini, instead of cucumber.

Meal prep tip. Combine the chicken peas, cucumbers, green olives, dressing, herbs, and feta. Keep in the refrigerator until you want to eat. Fresh romaine, fresh avocado, some more parsley, top with your refrigerated veggies, and croutons. Delicious recipe!

This is delicious, but only in a parallel universe could this feed 4-6 reasonably hungry individuals. Double it!

Add chicken. Delete bread. Some people use kalamata olives and lime instead of green olives and red wine vinegar.

‘Fried’ the bread cubes( used old sourdough)on low, olive oil, Italian dried herbs, sea salt until crisp (way too hot for oven). Sub’d zucchini for cucs (son won’t eat’em). Also added mini klumato tomatoes and small dice red and yellow peppers and more scallions on top! Deeeeeeelicious!

Idk how this recipe only has 4 stars; this is one of the best salads I've ever had and definitely the best I've ever homemade. The dressing is the most delightful. I eat this as my meal, so it's only 2 servings. If it's a lil side salad it could probably be 4-6 but it's too good to eat as a lil side salad.

Omitted the bread (I'm not a big fan of croutons), used dried mint & dill (didn't have fresh), added cherry tomatoes. It was a big hit! Two of the fans said they did NOT like capers or olives...so when I told them afterwards what was in it, they were borderline horrified. Yet still went back for seconds :) Tip: forget "whisking". Put the ingredients in a jar w/a tight lid and shake it to emulsify. Far easier/faster.

I just made this on a 100 degree day and I didn't want to turn on the oven to toast bread, so I skipped the croutons. It was delicious and I didn't miss them at all. I'll bet a nice, crusty baguette would be a good substitute. I used a lot of fresh dill and cilantro mixed into the entire salad instead of just on top. The fresh herbs and the dressing really make this salad special! I'll try it with the croutons next time.

OMG this was phenomenal!! I admittingly doubled the vinegar, shallots and mustard. My only suggestion is for smaller groups/individuals, I mixed all ingredients together except for the cheese, avocado, bread and lettuce and left it in the fridge. I keep adding to mixed greens and salad and ate for several days.

This salad was a great use of advocadoes on the edge of decay and leftover chicken. I would have liked 1-2 more Tbspns of red wine vinegar in the dressing, and believe the green olives could be swapped with black without spoiling the flavors. I used a lot of fresh dill because it was what I had and it was perfect - might use only dill next time. A keeper.

This is totally a winner! Have made it a few times with a couple of iterations: 1. To make it an entree, added grilled shrimp. 2. For gluten-free, used mini “tater-tots” for croutons. Just double cooking time in oven and they are toasty brown and crunchy. Huge hit! 3. Swapped out black beans for a non-chick pea lover in the house! So versatile and is even better the next day!

Good lunch salad. Full meal in one. If you don’t have stale bread, lightly toast some slices in your toaster before putting in oven so they are appropriately dried out going in.

I made a diary and gluten free version using Cassava Croutons and Violife just like Feta cheese. Super tasty and filling!

This was a winner! Did not change a thing. My teenagers also thought it was a hit. We’re having friends over this weekend and this will definitely have a spot on the table.

Loved this! Made for lunch prep. Doubled recipe. And definitely needed more dressing, made as written. Omitted the bread and romaine (I know, I know) added halved grape tomatoes and Kalamata olives. Tossed in dressing then packed in separate containers for lunch for 4-5 days. Added the avocado and cooked shredded chicken each day and drizzled more dressing on it. Sensational. Didn’t miss the romaine one bit!

This is a delicious salad. It's elevated and flavorful, and very much like you're eating a restaurant quality salad, and not a boring salad from home. The only thing I would change is to use lemon in place of red wine vinegar.

Absolutely love this recipe! Versatile et very tasty. I've made five times this summer.

Good, but definitely needs citrus for that extra zing. The dressing by itself is far too oily/one-note.

Delicious exactly as written (except, what’s a romaine heart? I just used red-leaf romaine), with goat feta. Rave reviews; very Caesar-adjacent. Will absolutely make this again!

Made this for me and my partner, best summer salad I ever made. I grilled some shrimp to go with it. So Delicious.

Am I the only person in the world that didn’t love this salad? It must be popular among non-salad-lovers because it’s so salty you can’t taste anything else. I’m pretty certain followed the recipe exactly and it was just very one dimensional (the dimension was salt). I think it’s missing a sweet element. I’ll try it with some dried cranberries in my leftovers tomorrow. Sadly this won’t become a staple in my rotation.

Very, very good. I cut way down on the oil given that the avocado provides quite a bit.

I make this salad multiple times a month and eat it for lunch several days in a row. I usually omit the croutons out for a faster assembly and it's still so delicious. I call it my "salty green salad."

I added a little lemon juice to the dressing. I used both dill and mint (and a little basil). I think I could reduce the amount of chickpeas. Fantastic salad.

Only needs half of the dressing. Two romaine hearts.

Wouldn't change a thing about this recipe! Just divine! Instead of bread, I had it with crackers for a week's worth of lunches. Next time I make this (which will be very soon!), I won't toss the entire salad in the dressing - I'll divide the dressing into their own containers and toss when ready to eat so the romaine stays crisp, not soggy.

I followed Kel B.'s advice and mixed up everything but the croutons, feta, avocado and lettuce, and let it marinate in the fridge. It got better with time. No shallots, as we have an intolerance here, so added radish for a bit of bite and colour. Added minced cilantro stems, and celery. Did the croutons in the air fryer at 400 for four minutes - came out perfectly. Second time making it, and we ate it with chicken, with pizza, and with some roasted veg. Everyone loved it. A keeper!

Have made this wonderful salad numerous times now, both for company and for ourselves. We sometimes use halloumi instead of feta. We also add boiled potatoes.

I used a mix of lettuce from the garden and arugula. Tasted great!

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