Description
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!
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed)
- 1/2 green bell pepper, cored and chopped
- 1 jalapeno, finely chopped (optional)
- 2 1/2 cups grape tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes), slice in halves if you like, or leave whole
- 3-5 green onions, both white and green parts, chopped
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (use ones that have been preserved in jars with olive oil)
- 1/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives
- 1/4 cup pitted green olives
- 1/2 cup freshly chopped parsley leaves
- 1/2 cup freshly chopped mint or basil leaves
For Dressing
- 1/4 cup Early Harvest Greek extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- Salt and black pepper, a generous pinch to your taste
- 1 tsp ground sumac
- 1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the salad ingredients: chickpeas, vegetables, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and fresh herbs.
- In a separate smaller bowl or jar, mix together the dressing ingredients: extra virgin olive oil, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, minced garlic, salt and pepper, and spices.
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad and mix gentle to coat. Leave aside for 30 minutes before serving, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- When ready to serve, give the salad a quick mix and taste to adjust seasoning if at all needed. Enjoy!
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.
- SAVE! Try our olive oil bundle or the Ultimate Mediterranean Spice Bundle! Or create your own 6-pack of spices!
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Keywords: Balela salad, Middle Eastern salad, healthy salad