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The everything but the kitchen sink Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Chickpea Salad. If you’re going to eat a salad today, it should definitely be this salad. It’s the perfect quick fix salad that’s almost no-cook and comes together in minutes. Grab that can of chickpeas from the pantry, some fresh cherry tomatoes, sweet corn, refreshing cucumbers, all your favorite herbs, feta cheese, and an avocado. Make a quick shallot vinaigrette…toss it all together, and done. It’s summery, healthy, and so good! Perfect for meal prepped lunches, a side salad, or a light dinner.
I’m feeling like I’ve shared a lot of sweet summer recipes recently, so switching up our regularly-scheduled Tuesday content, for summer salad content.
I have some simple throw it all in dinner recipes, some easy sweet treats, and even some get-creative cocktail recipes. But today I’m adding to my salads collection with this throw everything in but the kitchen sink summer salad. Yes, I have shared plenty of salads here on HBH, but salads like this? Not so much.
This is much more of a lunch salad, meal prepping salad, or light summer dinner salad. It’s beyond good, so freaking easy, and super fresh. And did I mention is (almost) no-bake and takes less than 30 minutes to put together? Kind of excited to be sharing this. I always hesitate to share simple recipes, but you guys always tell me to never hesitate, so here it goes. I hope you love this one as much as I do!
To make this salad you really just need all of the summer produce you can grab.
Start out by gathering up some herbs, which yes, are my obsession this month. If you read yesterday’s post then you know our garden is overflowing with every herb imaginable. Clearly I need to use them, so this is an herb heavy salad.
I like to use fresh basil, cilantro, parsley, and chives. Of course, if you don’t love cilantro, you can easily omit it. I’m well aware that cilantro is something you either love or you hate…I love it, but you do what’s best for you!
Add the herbs to a bowl, then add chickpeas, sweet cherry tomatoes, plenty of grilled corn, and Persian cucumbers. This makes up the bulk of your salad.
Now for the vinaigrette, this is where all the major flavor comes in.
Caramelized shallots, olive oil, lemon, honey, and red wine vinegar. It’s tangy, a touchy sweet, and balanced out with a pinch (more or less to your taste) of crushed red pepper flakes. I really couldn’t love this vinaigrette more. Simple, but it really packs a flavorful punch.
The key is to deeply caramelize the shallots on the stove. I know this is a little bit of an extra step, but one, I don’t love raw shallots. And two, caramelized shallots are worth any extra time. I learned this last fall when I made a similar vinaigrette, and I’ve been using the same method ever since. It’s so good.
Now, pour the warmish vinaigrette over the salad and toss. The moment the hot vinaigrette hits the fresh herbs in the salad you are immediately hit with delicious smells, the tomatoes become even juicier, and the chickpeas become soaked in flavor.
Add the salty feta cheese and avocado and that’s your salad!
Again, SO GOOD. It’s kind of amazing how something so simple and fresh can taste so delicious.
How do you eat this salad? Well, there are many ways.
Option 1: you can simply eat this just as is with a fork and nothing else. That’s great, super simple, and super healthy too.
Option 2: cook up some of your favorite seeded bread in a little olive oil. Add an egg or two and fry that up. Top the salad with the fried egg and enjoy with toast on the side. This is my personal favorite. I like it as a breakfast for dinner option and it takes just minutes.
Option 3: MEAL PREP! Make this on Sunday night, leave the avocado out, portion it out for lunch or dinner, then just toss and add the avocado before serving. You then have a well-marinated salad and it’s very delicious. Love a salad that actually gets better over time.
Option 4: family dinner with a side of crispy basil saltimbocca. YUM.
Either way you serve this up, it’s going to be loved by all!
If you make this corn, tomato, and avocado chickpea salad be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Chickpea Salad
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 580 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, and or parsley, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives
- 1 can (14 ounce) chickpeas, drained
- 4 ears grilled or steamed corn, kernels removed
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 Persian cucumbers, diced
- 1 cup cubed feta cheese
- 1 avocado, diced
Shallot vinaigrette
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice + the zest of 1 lemon
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 pinch crushed red peppers flakes
- kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions
- 1. To make the salad. Add the basil, cilantro, parsley, chives, chickpeas, corn, tomatoes, and cucumbers to a large bowl. 2. To make the vinaigrette. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the shallots, cook until fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat, let cool slightly. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, and red wine vinegar. Season with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. 3. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad, tossing to combine. Top the salad with avocado, and feta. Eat and enjoy!
Notes
To make ahead: complete the recipe up until adding the avocado. Let the salad cool, then store in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Before serving, toss the salad and add the avocado.
Yummm, really good! Served as-is for a healthy dinner after an overindulgent weekend, and it tasted so fresh and delicious. The roasted shallot in the dressing was fantastic. I think I’ll make this as a meal prep next time. Thanks for another keeper. 🙂
Hey Veronica,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and I appreciate you giving it a try! xTieghan
Just meal prepped this for lunches this week, added in some chopped kale. One of those classic dishes that you will not get sick of eating day after day. Thanks for another amazing recipe to add to my week!!
Hey Daria,
Wonderful! Thanks so much for making this dish, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
I made this for a bbq the other day and it was the hit of the party. I skipped the cheese and subbed sugar for the honey to make it vegan. I didn’t feel the need to cook the shallots – so, I just soaked them in the vinegar and lemon juice for a bit before blending the dressing ingredients together in our mini food processor. I’m glad everyone enjoyed it, but I’m sad there were no leftovers for us even though I doubled the recipe.
Hey Shannon,
Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a go! Have a great day! xxTieghan
Hi,
Having trouble seeing the number of servings on recipes since the website was re-done. Can you point me in the direction of this info?
Thank you!
Hey Jess,
They should be located right above the list of ingredients, unfortunately we are having issues with older recipes not showing the servings. Working to get this fixed! Thanks for your patience during this time! xTieghan
Wow this was amazing and it came together so quickly!! I added some kale and served with a piece of crusty rosemary olive oil bread. Definitely adding this to summer meal rotation!
Hey Hannah,
Fantastic! Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
This was a big hit with my family! We usually keep a cold pasta salad on hand during spring/summer for easy eating. Second go around I made extra dressing and added orzo pasta. This has officially replaced our usual go to pasta salad.
Hey Annabelle,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xxTieghan
Super yummy salad! Loved all the fresh herbs and lemon zest. Taking for my lunch tomorrow. Will definitely make again ?
Hey Gayle,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
Just made this !!! Can’t wait for dinner I admit I tried it of course Best part of being a cook Delicious
Hey Marie,
I am so glad you have enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a go! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Very yummy! Great tips and Loved the egg with it!
Thank you Kacey! xTieghan
I made this after corn season so I substituted 2 cups of frozen corn. Grilled would probably have been yummier but frozen worked well. The salad was a big hit.
Love that! Thank you for trying this recipe, Ann! xTieghan
I’m obsessed with this salad! Made it 3 or 4 times already and will continue to make it! So delicious and refreshing!
Thank you so much Kelsie! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Great recipe and very adaptable to what may have on hand -just did some lemon juice on it, salt and pepper blend, and skipped dressing ( Calorie saving for me) had some chopped zucchini and some left over freekeh to sprinkle in to it also. Good vegetarian main or side dish with something else.
Amazing! I am really glad this turned out so well for you, Frances! Thank you! xTieghan
I have made this salad before it’s amazing! Can you make the dressing ahead and how many days will it store up to in the fridge in a mason jar do you think? Thinking of making this salad to take up to the cottage.
Hey Lucy,
I am so glad you have been enjoying this recipe, it is such a great summer salad! I think you could make the dressing up to a week in advance. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This was really good and a great way to use farm stand veggies. I cooked and cut up the corn the day before and the day of eating, I mixed everything. The only thing I left out, b/c I ran out of it, was basil. Very easy and a different take on a salad. I will make again.
I am really glad this turned out so well for you, Alissa! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
This is so delicious! We’ve made it twice now with herbs and produce from our garden!
Love that! Thank you Lisa! xTieghan