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Parmesan Tahini Kale Salad with Breadcrumbs and Crunchy Chickpeas – not your average salad. Super green curly kale tossed generously with the creamiest tahini parmesan dressing then topped with a generous helping of garlicky breadcrumbs and extra crunchy, spicy chickpeas. It’s a simple salad, but one that will leave you craving it regularly. The secret lies in the dressing (it’s so special). And those crunchy chickpeas really seal the deal. Together they’ll make you say, yummmmy.
I was almost going to go through all of January without sharing a single salad. This is something crazy unusual for me. Most Januarys I load up on the salad recipes in an effort to share lighter recipes. This year has been a little different. I shared cozier, yet still very wholesome, healthy recipes. Lots of curries, big vegetable-filled bowls, and healthy banana bread too.
But today I have a salad – finally! And it might just be my favorite salad I’ve created. It’s inspired by a Caesar salad, but oh so much better.
I just love this recipe, and I know it’s going to be on repeat all year long. It’s the perfect salad to serve alongside your favorite family dinners or even to enjoy as dinner itself.
The idea came from a random video of tahini being poured over cauliflower. The tahini overtop of the roasted cauliflower looked incredible. Like so incredible.
You would think this would have inspired a cauliflower recipe. But for whatever random reason that’s not where my head went.
Instead, I went to kale salad, the most basic kale salad, but with so much tahini dressing, garlicky crumbs, and spicy, CRUNCHY chickpeas.
Three important elements. All simple. All so delicious.
Details
Chickpeas first. Toss them on a sheet pan with olive oil, chili powder, and paprika. I’ll sometimes add a pinch of onion and garlic powder too, then salt.
Bake these up until they’re crisp, then add Parmesan and bake until they’re very crunchy. This is key. The parmesan should become crunchy too.
During the same time, bake the Panko crumbs with olive oil, garlic, and pine nuts. Baking the crumbs instead of toasting them on the stove is so much simpler and mess-free. It’s also healthier since you’ll use less oil/butter.
While everything is baking, mix the dressing. Sometimes I use the food processor, sometimes just a jar, but either way, everything gets mixed until creamy.
Olive oil, tahini, lemon, dijon, Worcestershire, garlic salt, peppers, and parmesan. This dressing is very heavy on the tahini, which is the idea. It’s so addicting with the parmesan mixed in.
Toss the kale very well with the dressing. Then add more parmesan cheese, the warm breadcrumbs, and then the warm chickpeas.
Add everything in while still warm is kind of the secret. The warmth from the crumbs and beans melts the cheese and creates the butteriest, creamiest salad. It’s hard to explain, you just have to try it!
I debated calling this a Caesar because the dressing feels so similar, but honestly, this is better than any Caesar salad. Healthier too, so we can all appreciate that.
ENJOY, this really is a favorite!
Looking for other colorful salads? Here are some options:
Kale Bacon Salad with Maple Candied Walnuts
Grilled Lemon Herb Chicken Avocado Orzo Salad
Honey Mustard Pretzel Chicken and Avocado Bacon Salad
Lastly, if you make this Parmesan Tahini Kale Salad with Breadcrumbs and Crunchy Chickpeas, 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!
Parmesan Tahini Kale Salad with Breadcrumbs and Crunchy Chickpeas
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 609 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 can (14 ounce) chickpeas, drained, plus patted dry
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup pinenuts (optional)
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1/4 cup + 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- 2 heads curly kale, shredded
- 1-2 avocados, sliced
Parmesan Tahini Dressing
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1-2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 425° F.2. On a baking sheet, toss the chickpeas, 2 tablespoons olive oil, chili powder, paprika, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Toss well to evenly coat. Bake for 15 minutes. Add 1/4 cup parmesan, toss and bake 5-10 minutes, until extra crisp.3. During the same time, on a baking sheet, toss the breadcrumbs, pine nuts, and garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Bake 10 minutes, until toasted.3. Meanwhile, add the kale and 1/2 cup parmesan to a large salad bowl. 4. To make the dressing. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup water to thin the dressing. Taste and adjust the salt. 5. Pour the dressing over the kale, add 1/2 cup parmesan and toss well, massaging the dressing into the kale. Top the salad with avocado, then add a handful of parmesan. Top with breadcrumbs and chickpeas. Serve and enjoy!
Can’t go wrong! I love this dressing. Sadly didn’t have chickpeas or pine nuts. Subbed some seeds and roasted sweet potato. Will make again with all the ingredients though because it was so good!
Thanks so much Brittany!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out nicely for you, thanks for making it! xT
Was not expecting to like this so much! Super easy and very filling.
Hey Heather,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so glad to hear it turned out nicely for you! xT
Love love love this salad! It’s a family favorite. It tastes so good, it’s healthy, and it’s very filling! Thank you for sharing!
Hi Courtney,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and your feedback! So glad it was enjoyed! xT
So good! Just made it for lunch!
Hey Emily,
Awesome!! So glad to hear you enjoyed this salad, thanks a lot for making it! xT
I love this salad but can’t have tahini any longer, what would you substitute the tahini with?
Hi Rebecca,
You could use another nut butter or sunflower seed butter in place of the tahini. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Very tasty . Love it . Is this recipe meant to be a main dish ? I have so much left over .
Hi there! You can serve it as a main dish or a side! 🙂 xT
How long can you keep the tahini dressing in the fridge?
Hi Kate! The dressing should keep for up to about 2 weeks! xT
The dressing is good. The chickpeas took forever to get crispy. I don’t know what I did wrong but they really never got crispy. The pine nuts will burn long before the panko gets toasted and the parmesan crisps, so next time I would toast them separately on the stove. Quite honestly the idea of this recipe is good, it just didn’t turn out that great for me
Thank you for letting me know Wendy! Is there anything else I can do to help? xT
I think I’ve died and gone to heaven
Haha wow love to hear that! Thanks Sara! xT
I liked this recipe although I halved the oil content and left off the additional Parmesan at the end to make it a bit healthier.
I only used one head of kale so halved the dressing accordingly although next time I would use less Dijon than required as it was a bit intense for my liking.
This isn’t a recipe I’d make regularly, bit too many moving parts for a go to recipe but would be a nice one to bring to a party.
Thank you for the feedback Laura! I appreciate it! xT
We are a house divided over here. My husband didn’t like this, but he is a meat and potatoes guy so kale isn’t his love language. I loved it! It is a hearty main-dish salad to me. I massaged the kale with a little olive oil before putting it together so it was a little softer. I also didn’t have enough parm for the recipe but I can imagine it being even better parmed up! There is a restaurant here that serves a kale caesar that I get regularly…this is better! It’s a little more work than I like to put into a salad but I made enough to make it a second time so that helped.
Hi there! So glad that you enjoyed this recipe! Hopefully your husband will come around soon! haha xT
The toasted panko bread crumbs and parm mixed with the creamiest dressing ever is beyond delicious! I added an air fryer steak marinated in Worcestershire sauce and Dijon to the salad and the creamy dressing was amazing with the steak! I will crave this one for sure!
Thanks so so much! Always love to hear when a recipe is enjoyed! Have a great weekend 🙂 xT
Hi Tieghan! I’ve tried so many of your recipes and they are all delish! I’m really excited to try this but wanted to ask you what you would substitute the parmasen with in the dressing to make it dairy free? Thank so much!
Thanks so much Kayla!! I would use nutritional yeast, that should work nicely for you! I hope you love this recipe! xT
Added baked chicken and it was great!
This salad was tasty and satisfying! I added more lemon juice and spices to the dressing and doubled the chickpeas, because, why not?! Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe Angel! xT