"Nacho" Chickpea Salad

Nacho Chickpea Salad! This easy and healthful chickpea salad is bursting with flavor thanks to traditional nacho fixins like black olives, diced tomatoes, black beans and pickled jalapenos!

Disclosure:  This post is sponsored by Stonyfield Organic as part of an ongoing partnership. As always, the opinions here are all my own!

With all the cooking I do for the blog and my family, I feel like I rarely come across new things anymore in my weekly trips to the grocery store. I load Cole up the shopping cart, walk through those automatic doors and let the autopilot setting take over.

Salad mix. Spinach. ::pivot:: Bananas. ::pivot:: Carrots. Zucchini. Broccoli. Berries. ::pivot:: Cherry Tomatoes. Teeny Tiny Avocados. Sweet Potatoes. ::turn the corner:: Onions. ::next display:: Onto the fruit.

But a few weeks ago, somewhere between "applesauce pouches ::hang a right:: hummus", I saw something out of the corner of my eye that I had never noticed before. Balela.

The package described it as, "A savory Middle Eastern salad with chickpeas, black beans and tomatoes." It sounded good to me, so I threw it in my cart and moved on to "Eggs. Half & half. ::turn left into aisle 2::

I wasn't expecting much when I opened it up at home and tried it for the first time, but after a few bites I was hooked. I love the chunky texture of the whole beans and juicy tomatoes and the flavorful mix of onions and fresh parsley. I've been eating it on top of everything.

It's no wonder that when I was mulling over recipe ideas for playoff season, thoughts of this dreamy bean salad popped into my mind. As delightful as the traditional recipe is, I wanted to give it a game day twist and, well, does anything scream "game day" more than NACHOS?

You wanna know what's really sad? My husband hates nachos, so I rarely ever make them or order them anywhere {which may or may not be a good thing} because then I'd be forced to polish them off all by my lonesome and risk clogging an entire artery.

But this? This "Nacho" Chickpea Salad is something I could take down all by myself without any such concern, because while it most definitely contains some of the ingredients that make nachos super tasty, it's so much better for you.

Packed with protein and fiber, chickpeas are an ideal snack for that snacky feeling that tends to creep up while game-watching. By loading up the salad with nacho-esque toppings like black beans, chopped tomatoes and onions, olives, jalapenos, and even a bit of cheese, you're getting all the flavor without the regret.

A dollop of Greek yogurt adds a healthier version of that sour cream-like tang that is often the crowning glory of a plate of nachos!

Serve with your favorite dippers like pita chips or whole grain tortilla chips for an irresistible Super Bowl snack or, heck, gobble it up with a fork for lunch!

I'll definitely be keeping my eyes open for more supermarket inspiration, but in the meantime, you can find me diving right in to this superb salad.

P.S. The amounts in this "recipe" are purely a suggestion -- add as much or as little of each ingredient as you like or make swaps based on your preferences.

“Nacho” Chickpea Salad

The Kitchen Prep

By loading up the salad with nacho-esque toppings like black beans, chopped tomatoes and onions, olives, jalapenos, and even a bit of cheese, you’re getting all the flavor without the regret.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 mins

Total Time 5 mins

Course Appetizer, Sauce

Cuisine American

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  

• 1 can chickpeas rinsed and drained
• ¾ cups canned black beans rinsed and drained
• 3 tablespoons sliced black olives
• 3 tablespoons pickled jalapenos roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion*
• ¼ cup fresh tomatoes seeded and roughly chopped
• ¼ cup shredded cheddar or nacho cheese blend
• ¼ cup olive oil
• Juice from ½ a lime
• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika {if you like a smoky flavor}
• Pinch of salt
• Handful of fresh cilantro roughly chopped
• ¼ cup Stonyfield Whole Milk Greek Yogurt

Instructions

 

• Toss together first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl; gently mix to combine.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, cumin and smoked paprika until emulsified.
• Pour over the bean mixture and toss to coat. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Refrigerate until ready to serve. {The longer it sits, the more the flavors marry, so feel free to make it in advance.}
• Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt and your favorite chips.

Notes

If raw onion is too strong for you, chopped scallions make a nice, milder alternative.