Balela salad is an all-time favorite nutrition-packed power salad. It's fresh, satisfying, and totally festive. This is not your basic chickpea salad recipe!

Balela Salad Recipe | The Mediterranean Dish. Bright, flavor-packed Mediterranean chickpea salad with chopped veggies, lots of herbs, and favorites like olives and sun-dried tomatoes. A zesty dressing brings it all together! A simple recipe from TheMediterraneanDish.com #balela #chickpeasalad #mediterraneanfood #mediterraneanrecipe

Let's start with a simple definition. In Arabic, the word “balela” means “cooked chickpeas.” Balela salad is an ancient Middle Eastern chickpea salad. It is simple, wholesome, bright, and flavor-packed. A winner on all fronts!

There are many variations of balela salad, but this recipe is closer to what you'd find in the restaurants and food joints of Alexandria, Egypt.

Balela Salad Recipe | The Mediterranean Dish. Bright, flavor-packed Mediterranean chickpea salad with chopped veggies, lots of herbs, and favorites like olives and sun-dried tomatoes. A zesty dressing brings it all together! A simple recipe from TheMediterraneanDish.com #balela #chickpeasalad #mediterraneanfood #mediterraneanrecipe
Table of Contents
  1. Balela Salad My Way
  2. Turn Your Balela Salad Into a Meal!
  3. Have You Heard About the Half Cup Habit?
  4. You'll Also Like: Healthy & Filling Dinner Recipes
  5. Balela Salad Recipe

Balela Salad My Way

The gist: cooked chickpeas, chopped veggies, copious amounts of fresh herbs, and Mediterranean favorites like olives and sun-dried tomatoes. A zesty salad dressing with garlic and sumac brings everything together.

Tip: to allow the flavors to meld, make the balela salad ahead of time, at least a half hour before serving!

Turn Your Balela Salad Into a Meal!

Clearly this beautiful and festive salad can be served as part of a special dinner. But with nourishing and satisfying chickpeas, being the star ingredient in balela salad, it can really stand alone as a meal.  You can also serve it in warm pita pockets with a drizzle of tahini, or add it to an impressive vegetarian mezze platter with baba ganoush and roasted red pepper hummus.

Balela Salad Recipe | The Mediterranean Dish. Bright, flavor-packed Mediterranean chickpea salad with chopped veggies, lots of herbs, and favorites like olives and sun-dried tomatoes. A zesty dressing brings it all together! A simple recipe from TheMediterraneanDish.com #balela #chickpeasalad #mediterraneanfood #mediterraneanrecipe

Have You Heard About the Half Cup Habit?

I get excited when I see balela salad at my local deli. Good on them! It's one brilliant way to pack lean protein and plant-based nutrition into your diet! And if there were a list of textbook Mediterranean diet recipes, Balela salad would make the top!

As you know, one of the powerful secrets of the Mediterranean diet is in nutrition-filled pulses, like dry chickpeas, lentils, peas, and beans. Pulses pack a lot of protein, and they are rich in complex carbohydrates, fiber and B vitamins!

Balela Salad Recipe | The Mediterranean Dish. Bright, flavor-packed Mediterranean chickpea salad with chopped veggies, lots of herbs, and favorites like olives and sun-dried tomatoes. A zesty dressing brings it all together! A simple recipe from TheMediterraneanDish.com #balela #chickpeasalad #mediterraneanfood #mediterraneanrecipe

If you don't already eat a good portion of pulses, a simple goal would be to add to your diet just ½ cup of pulses three times per week (a total of 1 ½ cups of pulses per week, which is what USDA recommends). This is what USA Pulses and Pulse Canada call the Half-Cup Habit! Check it out here. And, I've included some more of my favorite recipes below!

You'll Also Like: Healthy & Filling Dinner Recipes

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Balela Salad

The Mediterranean Dish
Balela Salad Recipe | The Mediterranean Dish. Bright, flavor-packed Mediterranean chickpea salad with chopped veggies, lots of herbs, and favorites like olives and sun-dried tomatoes. A zesty dressing brings it all together! A simple recipe from TheMediterraneanDish.com #balela #chickpeasalad #mediterraneanfood #mediterraneanrecipe
This festive and wholesome Balela Salad is a Middle Eastern favorite! Filled with tons of nutrition from chickpeas and chopped veggies. And packs lots of flavor from fresh herbs, a zesty dressing, and Mediterranean favorites like olives and sun-dried tomatoes. A must-try!
Prep – 10 minutes
Total – 10 minutes
Cuisine:
Middle Eastern
Serves – 6 to 7 servings
Course:
Salad

Ingredients
  

For the Salad

  • 3 ½ cups cooked chickpeas (or 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas), drained and rinsed
  • ½ green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 jalapeno, finely chopped (optional)
  • 2 ½ cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved if you’d like (or you can leave them whole)
  • ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes
  • 3-5 green onions, chopped (both white and green parts)
  • cup pitted Kalamata olives
  • ¼ cup pitted green olives
  • ½ cup chopped parsley leaves
  • ½ cup chopped mint or basil leaves

For the Dressing

  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 teaspoon sumac
  • ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper
  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
  • Kosher salt
  • Black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Mix the salad. In a large bowl, mix the chickpeas, bell pepper, jalapeno (if using), tomatoes, green onion, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and herbs.
  • Make the dressing. In a separate bowl or jar, add the oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, sumac, Aleppo pepper, and red pepper (if using). Season with salt and pepper to taste and whisk to combine.
  • Dress. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and mix gently to coat. Ideally, leave aside for 30 minutes before serving, or cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.
  • Serve. When ready to serve, give the salad a quick mix and taste to adjust seasoning if at all needed. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

  • Turn your babela into a meal! This wholesome, nutrition-packed salad can easily be turned into a meal. Serve it in warm pita pockets with a drizzle of tahini. Or add it to an impressive vegetarian mezze platter with baba ganoush and roasted red pepper hummus.
  • Recommended for this recipe: Early Harvest Greek extra virgin olive oil (from organically grown and processed Koroneiki olives). And from our all-natural spice collection: Sumac and Aleppo Pepper.
  • Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including olive oils, honey, jams, and spices.

Nutrition

Calories: 302.8kcalCarbohydrates: 36.8gProtein: 11gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 1.9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 8.7gSodium: 234.5mgPotassium: 848.3mgFiber: 10.5gSugar: 10.4gVitamin A: 1451.3IUVitamin C: 35.2mgCalcium: 94mgIron: 4.6mg
Tried this recipe?

*This post has recently been updated with new information for readers’ benefit.

Balela Salad Recipe | The Mediterranean Dish. Bright, flavor-packed Mediterranean chickpea salad with chopped veggies, lots of herbs, and favorites like olives and sun-dried tomatoes. A zesty dressing brings it all together! A simple recipe from TheMediterraneanDish.com #balela #chickpeasalad #mediterraneanfood #mediterraneanrecipe

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I'm Suzy; born and bred right on the shores of the Mediterranean. I'm all about easy, healthy recipes with big Mediterranean flavors. Three values guide my cooking: eat with the seasons; use whole foods; and above all, share! So happy you're here...
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Comments

    1. Hi, Karen. Technically, you can. Za'atar contains sumac, so you'll get the same zippy flavor you're looking for. However, you'll also get notes of herbaceous, woodsy thyme and oregano, as well as nutty sesame. If you're not looking for all of that added flavor, another great option to substitute sumac is simply lemon or lime zest.

  1. 5 stars
    Hi Suzy from Port Said - I am from Jamaica and I have made this salad before but it was eaten immediately. So I want to know how long can this salad sit in the refrigerator before it can be served. Two three days?

  2. 5 stars
    Great recipe - I liked your comments about how it is adaptable, so I was able to make it easily with things I had on hand.

    I’m commenting to thank you for the link to pulses.org! I signed up, and am happy to support the growers and other organizations listed as part of that site. I never would have heard of it otherwise, so I appreciate the information! Thanks!