Chickpea Tabbouleh

Name: Chickpea Tabbouleh
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 3 1/2 cups cooked or canned chickpeas (two 15-ounce cans); 2 large tomatoes, chopped; 2 celery stalks (the leaves are good too), chopped; 1 bell pepper, chopped; 6 or 7 radishes, chopped; 2 scallions, chopped; 1 cup chopped fresh parsley (flat or curly leaves, your choice); 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint or dill (or use another 1/2 cup parsley); 16 black olives, pitted and chopped (optional); 4 tablespoons olive oil; 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or more to taste; Salt and pepper

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Makes 4 Servings 1x

Time 30 Minutes

Units Scale

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups cooked or canned chickpeas (two 15-ounce cans)
2 large tomatoes, chopped
2 celery stalks (the leaves are good too), chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
6 or 7 radishes, chopped
2 scallions, chopped
1 cup chopped fresh parsley (flat or curly leaves, your choice)
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint or dill (or use another 1/2 cup parsley)
16 black olives, pitted and chopped (optional)
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
Salt and pepper

Instructions

Drain the chickpeas; if they’re canned, rinse them under running water and drain again. Put the chickpeas in a large bowl and mash with a fork or a potato masher until the beans break up a bit to resemble coarse grain.
Add the vegetables and herbs. Pour in the olive oil and 1 tablespoon lemon juice and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss until everything is combined and coated in dressing. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding lemon juice and more salt and pepper as you like. Serve right away or refrigerate for up to 2 hours and serve chilled.

—Recipe adapted from The VB6 Cookbook

Recipe variations

Tips & Tricks:

Vary the legume and try this with homecooked heirloom beans or lentils or canned cannellini or black-eyed peas; substitute chopped walnuts, pistachios, or almonds for the pine nuts; for the vegetables, try chopped grilled or roasted eggplant or simply cooked greens.
Wait until Step 2 to prep the vegetables as described in the ingredient list, then just chop and drop them into the bowl of mashed chickpeas as you work.