This post may include affiliate links; for details, see our disclosure policy.
This chickpea fattoush salad bowl is a take on the traditional Lebanese salad; adding chickpeas makes it a filling meatless healthy dinner idea.
This chickpea fattoush nourish bowl was created in partnership with Village Farms. All opinions are our own.
Alex and I were born in the 1980’s; we were those 8-year-olds who planted trees for Earth Day and worried about alternative fuel sources. But it wasn’t until adulthood that we realized that the food we eat can also affect the Earth–in both positive and negative ways. Today we’re foodies who typically wouldn’t be caught dead making a dish without of season, non-local tomatoes. We stand in support of our local farmers and against out-of-season, tasteless big-box store tomatoes. However, at the same time: we realize that in order to feed our world, we need diversity in food growing practices. As idealistic as it sounds, we’re not going to feed the world with 100% local veggie farmers. Keep reading for more on eco-friendly growing practices and this chickpea fattoush salad bowl recipe (including, what is fattoush?).
Eco-friendly tomatoes
It’s estimated that by 2050 we’ll have an additional 2 billion people in this world, and to feed them we’ll need to double the amount of crops we grow. To make that happen, Alex and I believe that organizations of all kinds are going to have to lean and green up their growing practices: from small and local farmers to large and national businesses.
To celebrate Earth Day this year, we’ve teamed up with Village Farms to create this chickpea fattoush salad recipe with their greenhouse-grown tomatoes. Yes, we’re all about local, soil-grown summer tomatoes. At the same time, growing tomatoes using hydroponics (growing in water) in a greenhouse allows for the season to be extended. And using sustainable growing practices and avoiding chemicals makes Village Farms a viable option for fresh produce year round. A couple points that stuck out to us about Village Farms’ practices. They use:
- 86% less water compared to the average tomato grown outdoors.
- 97% less land to grow the same amount of tomatoes grown outdoors.
- Beneficial insects to control pests and stimulate healthy plant growth, instead of harmful chemicals
As a result, these growing methods also result in ripe, juicy flavorful tomatoes (not tasteless and mealy).
How to make this chickpea fattoush salad
To celebrate our planet in a few days (April 22), we’ve created this chickpea fattoush salad bowl. What is fattoush? Fattoush is a Lebanese salad that’s a mix of herbs, cucumber, tomatoes, and crispy pita pieces. It’s brightened with the flavor of ground sumac, a traditional Lebanese spice. This recipe is not a traditional fattoush recipe: it’s a nourish bowl inspired by the concept of fattoush, and we’ve added spiced chickpeas to make it more filling.
Since sumac is a unique spice, we’ve used lemon zest here to mimic its tart flavor–but if you prefer to be authentic, you can find ground sumac online. We tried it with both sumac and lemon zest, and enjoyed it both ways. We hope you’ll enjoy the recipe — and would love to hear your thoughts on eco-friendly ways to feed the world, too.
Looking for more healthy bowl meals?
Outside of these chickpea fattoush salad bowls, here are some of our favorite healthy bowl meal recipes:
- Veggie Burrito Bowls
- Go Green Bowls
- Tropical Mango Bowls
- Green Goddess Salad Bowls
- Vegetarian Quinoa Bibimbap Bowls
- Thai Salad with Peanut Sauce Dressing
- Homemade Dolsot Bibimbap
- Stress Reducing Avocado and Quinoa Bowl
- Chickpea Couscous Bowls with Tahini Sauce
- Vegetarian Cobb Salad
- Broccoli and Turmeric Yellow Rice Bowls
This recipe is…
This chickpea fattoush salad bowl is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free. For gluten-free, use gluten-free pita bread.
Chickpea Fattoush Salad Bowl
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
This chickpea fattoush salad bowl is a take on the traditional Lebanese salad; adding chickpeas makes it a filling meatless healthy dinner idea.
Ingredients
- 2 pita breads
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 large lemon (¼ cup lemon juice plus zest)
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- 1½ teaspoons maple or honey
- Fresh ground black pepper
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 3 romaine hearts
- 10 ounces Village Farms heavenly villagio marzano® tomatoes
- 1 small English cucumber
- 2 scallions (green onions)
- 3 to 4 radishes
- 1 handful fresh mint leaves
- Sumac (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Brush the pita breads on both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with a few pinches kosher salt. Slice each pita into 8 wedges with a pizza cutter. Place the wedges on a baking sheet and bake until golden and crispy, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, then break the wedges into irregular pieces.
- Meanwhile, mince the garlic, then use the flat blade of your knife to scrape it into a paste. In a medium bowl whisk together the garlic, ¼ cup lemon juice, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, cinnamon, allspice, maple, and several grinds of black pepper. Gradually whisk in ½ cup olive oil a tablespoon or two at a time until a creamy emulsion forms.
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas, shaking off as much water as possible. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the chickpeas, cumin, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and several grinds of black pepper and sauté for 5 minutes until the chickpeas are golden and warmed through.
- Chop the romaine hearts. Slice the tomatoes in half. Dice the cucumber. Thinly slice the scallions and radishes; slice the radishes in half. Thinly slice the mint leaves. To serve, place the greens in the bowl and arrange the vegetables, chickpeas, and toasted pita on top, adding a few pinches of kosher salt to the tomatoes and cucumber. Drizzle with dressing and garnish with mint and lemon zest (or sumac, if desired).
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Lebanese
This recipe is one of our favorites. We have made it dozens of times and I don’t even alter the recipe at all.
So glad to hear that!
Some of the recipes have nutritional info – some don’t. They’re mostly excellent meals but the nutritional information would be helpful. Thank you
Hi! We’re working through updating all of the older recipes. Let us know if there are any you’d like us to do first.
I have made this three times! I use gluten free pita bread and add quinoa for a little extra protein- SO GOOD!! Love your recipes- thank you!
Wonderful! So glad you are enjoying them! :)
I just stumbled across your blog today as I was searching for recipes before I went grocery shopping. I made this tonight and it was wonderful! So flavorful and delicious! My husband and I loved it and even our picky toddler ate the chickpeas. I added a little goat cheese because we’re not vegan. I’d definitely make this again, a winner! Excited to try out your other recipes.
We are SO glad to hear first that you stumbled across us, and second that you enjoyed the recipe! I love the idea of adding goat cheese — yum! How did you find us?
Made this last night and it was amazing. All the flavors meld together so perfectly! Thanks for a great recipe.
Oh wonderful, we are so glad you liked it! Thank you so much for letting us know!
Delicious! I’m not doing a lot of bread so used 100 calorie everything slim bagels and added a half an avocado. Dressing was so good! Cut recipe in half sincer we are empty nesters but maybe next time I’ll make the full recipe for leftovers. Keep it going you guys! Love your recipes. I have photos just not sure how to post here.
just had fattoush yesterday and it’s been on my mind since! These bowls look lovely- love all the flavors you’ve incorporated in here. And loving your words about Earth Day! I’m very involved with environmentalism and environmental justice at college, and I love seeing food bloggers approach the topic as well :)
First of all, I love that you help raise awareness. I think the more people read about it, the more the message will sink in!
And then secondly: LOVE this recipe! We’ve been all about nourishing dinner bowls lately, so this one is for sure going on my list. Have a great day!