Easy Mason Jar Chickpea Salad with Homemade Dressing
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How trendy is this Mason Jar Chickpea Salad? It’s the perfect vegetarian lunch for taking to work or on a picnic. Simply chop cucumbers, bell pepper, chickpeas, tomatoes, lettuce, and fresh herbs before drizzling with your homemade balsamic dressing. Ready to go in 30 minutes!
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Mason Jar Chickpea Salad
The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. I highly recommend reading all the way through for any tips or substitute suggestions, to ensure that you have any specialized ingredients and equipment required and that you understand the steps and timings involved.
Mason jar salads are the perfect solution for a satisfying, nutritious lunch on the go. Mason jars offer an easy way of packing your ingredients and they can even be made ahead of time.
Vegetables are the key to a healthy diet, but not all vegetables should be treated equally. This is especially true when it comes to mason jar salads; the order of ingredients can make or break your salad!
When creating a jar of salad, always add the dressing first and then harder veggies such as carrots, cabbage, broccoli, or celery, that won’t break down from the dressing.
Next, add softer, more tender vegetables like tomatoes, bell peppers, and legumes. Last, but not least, add green leafy vegetables and fresh herbs on top so they don’t get all soggy from the dressing.
You can experiment and use any combination of ingredients you prefer. This vegetarian version is filled with chickpeas and fresh garden goodies, but don’t hesitate to add your own touch in the form of cooked chicken or beef, rice, quinoa, beans, and/or your favorite types of cheese. Just be sure to add the softer ingredients toward the top to keep them nice and fresh!
Mason jars are like little magic portals! I use them a lot to store salads in – especially when meal prepping because the salad lasts SO much longer than in any other container I’ve ever used!
Not only are these types of salads good for taking as a packed lunch, be that to work, school, or on a picnic, they’re also great for taking to a potluck, or other events where you need to transport it.
Glass mason jars come in a variety of sizes, and you can be safe in the knowledge that not only do you have a super portable salad, it will also last longer than other types of salads that start wilting or going bad after a few hours!
FYI, Mason is the brand of glass jar – but not all glass jars are Mason! In the UK, Kilner is a popular brand of glass jars. You can of course just buy generic, non-branded glass jar (Ikea sell them) or reuse jars that you have at home!
Ingredients & Equipment Used In This Recipe
While most ingredients can be bought in grocery stores, for your convenience, any specialized or notable ingredients (and equipment) needed for this recipe have been listed below and linked to Amazon or other stores if available online.
It does not include staple ingredients such as oil, salt, and pepper, as you’re likely to have those in your kitchen already. The complete list of ingredients with measurements is found in the recipe card.
- Fresh Produce – Oregano, Limes, Cucumbers, Bell Peppers, Cherry Tomatoes, Romaine Lettuce, Parsley, Basil
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Dijon Mustard
- Honey – try to buy locally produced honey when possible.
- Canned Chickpeas – also known as Garbanzo Beans.
- Quart-Sized Mason Jars – that’s about 1L in metric.
Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog use both cup measurements and/or weighted measurements. American cups and kitchen food scales are handy pieces of equipment to have in your kitchen as it means you’ll be able to make all of the different recipes on my blog. I try to give American, imperial, and metric measurements in my recipes. Please note, you can mix cup measurements with weighted measurements, but never mix imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.,) with metric (kilograms, grams, litres, etc.,).
More Recipes Using Chickpeas
One of the hero ingredients in this dish is chickpeas, so here are some more recipes using the same:
- Chickpea + Cucumber Salad with Tahini Dressing
- Vegetable & Chickpea Tagine
- Lamb + Chickpea Stew on Celeriac Mash
More Salad Recipes
Looking for more salads to make? These recipes would work perfectly in a mason jar:
- Roasted Vegetable & Orzo Salad
- One Pan Roasted Vegetable, Chick Pea, & Rice Salad
- Giant Couscous Salad with Roasted Aubergine, Parsley & Pomegranate
How Do I Make Mason Jar Chickpea Salad?
Check out the printable recipe card below with full ingredients and instructions. Any demonstration photos do not print out to save your ink.
Mason Jar Chickpea Salad with Homemade Dressing
Mason Jar Chickpea Salad is the perfect vegetarian lunch for taking to work or on a picnic. This recipe fills six quart-size (1L) Mason jars.
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- ⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp fresh oregano leaves
- 3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 Tbsp honey
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
For the Salad
- 2 medium English cucumbers, chopped
- 2 large bell peppers, seeded, chopped
- 1 (15-oz/400g) can chickpeas, rinsed, drained
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
- 2 heads Romaine lettuce, chopped
- ½ cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
Instructions
- To prepare the dressing, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, lime juice, and honey together in a small glass or other non-reactive bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Taste and adjust seasonings, as desired. Set aside.
- Wash and pat dry all vegetables before prepping. Toss Romaine lettuce, parsley, and basil in a medium bowl to combine. Divide all vegetables into 6 equal portions and set them aside.
- Divide dressing among 6 quart-size (32oz/1L) mason jars. Add a layer of chopped cucumbers to each jar, followed by a layer of bell peppers. Next, add chickpeas and then the grape tomatoes. Top each jar with the lettuce-herb mixture and seal with a lid.
- .Store salads in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Each salad will last 4-5 days. To serve, remove from refrigerator and pour each jar into a salad bowl and enjoy!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1077Total Fat: 40gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 29gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1553mgCarbohydrates: 146gFiber: 41gSugar: 35gProtein: 43g
This site uses Nutritionix to provide estimated nutrition. Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Make It A Full Meal
This salad would work well as a starter or side dish, but what about the rest of the courses?
Here are additional recipes to make a full meal for a dinner party or special occasion:
- Soup: Spanish Chorizo & Red Lentil Soup Recipe
- Main Dish: Pan-Seared Tuna Steaks with Lemon-Caper Sauce
- Beverage: Raspberry Lime Vodka Cocktail – Fruity & Refreshing!
- Dessert: Instant Pot Cheesecake with Fresh Strawberries & Blueberries
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too.