Skip to Content

Lemony Kale and Chickpea Salad

Thanks for sharing!

This salad is super simple but oh so good. Kale and chickpeas are married with a bright lemon dressing for a flavorful and nutritious salad.

bowl of kale salad with chickpeas and grated Parmesan cheese on top

     This simple salad is packed full of nutrition. With a simple lemon and olive oil dressing, it is a perfect summer side. Unlike most salads, it is actually better if it has a while to sit in the dressing making it a perfect make ahead for entertaining as well. All you have to do at meal time is toss and serve!

     We finally did it! After years of talking about joining the local CSA, we finally just did it. We were hesitant because there are always points in the summer when it’s hard to keep up with our own garden.

    After much hemming and hawing we decided it would be a great way to force variety into our vegetable routine. Plus it speaks to our shop local when we can desires. It doesn’t get much more local than the farm we drive by regularly.

bunch of fresh curly kale.

    For those of you unfamiliar with CSAs, it stands for Community Supported Agriculture.  Basically we paid a fee to join before spring, giving the farmers the capital to buy seeds and supplies.

   Then we get weekly boxes of produce filled with a variety if whatever is in season. We are really looking forward to seeing what all we get over the course of the next 17 weeks.

    We decided to purchase a half share because we do have our own garden that usually is pretty plentiful, but our first box was still brimming with goodies.

    Hopefully this will translate into a lot more seasonal produce heavy recipes here as well.  If you are used to coming to my corner of the internet for cakes and frosting, don’t panic!

    I am sure there will still be plenty of that as well. I mean, I am still me after all!

box of fresh veggies from CSA

     Of course this time of year it was heavy on greens including a generous bunch of curly kale. Usually I cook kale in things like soup, on zuppa inspired pizza, even in quiche or baked into chips.

    However as hot as it’s been and as busy as we’ve been with my brother’s wedding and sister’s graduation I thought a kale salad would be a nice change.

     Normally the kale salads I’ve had use a sweet dressing and dried fruit to balance out the kale. I wanted to try something different this time though.

    We were planning to grill up some lemon and yogurt marinated chicken, so this simple salad dressed with lemon and olive oil called to me.

bowl of chopped, dressed and massaged kale.

    While kale has a reputation for being a bit tough and slightly bitter, you can easily combat that with a little planning. First, be sure to remove the ribs.

    Then go ahead and run your knife through it to chop it relatively finely. While this is discouraged with more delicate greens, it is encouraged with kale!

    Also, go ahead and dress the salad a few hours ahead in you can. The prolonged exposure to the lemon juice, oil and salt help make for a milder texture and flavor in the kale and you don’t have to worry about soggy salad.

    I encourage you to try this bright and fresh salad with your next bunch of kale as well. Meanwhile in case we get more kale next week, what are your favorite summer kale recipes?

More great salad recipes:

Yield: 10 Servings

Lemony Kale and Chickpea Salad

bowl of simple kale salad with lemon, chickpeas and Parmesan cheese.

This salad is super simple but oh so good. Kale and chickpeas are married with a bright lemon dressing for a flavorful and nutritious salad.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch kale
  • 2 cans chickpeas
  • 4 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 Tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • pinch each red pepper flakes, salt and pepper
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Remove leafy green parts of kale from the stems. Discard stems and chop leafy part relatively finely.
  2. Place chopped kale in a big bowl and drizzle in lemon juice and olive oil. Season with garlic powder, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Vigorously toss to coat kale in dressing. I like using my hands for this to make sure it is really coated.
  3. Drain chickpeas and toss with greens. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours before serving in possible.
  4. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and toss before serving.
  5. Leftovers hold up well for a couple of days covered in the refrigerator.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please view my disclosure page for more information.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 120Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 83mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 3gSugar: 2gProtein: 4g

All nutritional information is estimated and will depend on the exact ingredients you use.

Did you make this recipe?

I'd love to see it! Share a picture on Instagram or Pinterest and tag me @carleecooks to let me know how it went!

This salad is super simple but oh so good. Kale and chickpeas are married with a bright lemon dressing for a flavorful and nutritious salad.

Thanks for sharing!

Anne

Tuesday 10th of July 2018

I am in a CSA too, I love all of the fresh veggies. The only difference is that I can pick out my veggies. And this salad sounds delicious!

Caroline

Monday 9th of July 2018

We have had a vegetable box delivered for years and it has helped me be better about trying things I might not otherwise. This sounds tasty with the lemon dressing.

Karen

Sunday 8th of July 2018

Thanks for the inspiration for joining a CSA. I've seen it mentioned in blogs, but your description has inspired me to look into it. Great salad too. Love the make ahead idea.

Jolene

Sunday 8th of July 2018

I've been eating lots of chickpeas lately, but have yet to try kale. This looks like the perfect way to do it!

Books n' Cooks

Sunday 8th of July 2018

I need to share this recipe with my brother - his garden is overflowing with kale.

Skip to Recipe