Summer Spinach Salad with Chickpea Olive Crumble

5 from 7 votes

Summer Spinach Salad with Chickpea Olive Crumble

A satisfying summer spinach salad with an umami-packed, crisp chickpea olive crumble, lots of fresh, crunchy veggies, and creamy, vibrant tahini lemon dressing is a perfect hot weather dinner. (gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, high protein)

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: dinner, lunch, Main, Main Course

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Keyword: summer spinach salad

Servings:

Author: Vegan Richa

Ingredients

For the Chickpea Olive Crumble

2 tablespoons sun dried tomato dry or packed in olive oil
15 oz can chickpeas drained, or 1½ cups cooked chickpeas or white beans
½ cup Kalamata olives
3 tablespoons hemp seeds
1 teaspoon dried oregano or a mix of oregano, thyme, and basil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast use more or less to preference
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil divided, or oil from your oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes

For the Salad Bowl

6 to 7 ounces greens of choice such as a mix of chopped romaine lettuce and baby spinach
1 cup chopped cucumber
1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes or more

For the Dressing

3 tablespoons tahini
3 tablespoons non-dairy yogurt use soy-free and/or nut-free, if needed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon oregano or dill, or a mix of herbs of choice
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh herbs such as parsley, cilantro, or green onion

For Garnish

lemon zest, vegan Parmesan , black pepper
sprouts or microgreens

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the chickpea crumble.

Preheat the oven to 400°F (205° C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. To a food processor, add the sun-dried tomato and pulse until chopped into a coarse mixture. Then add the rest of the crumble ingredients, but only 1 teaspoon of the oil, and pulse for about 5 seconds, then stop and pulse again until the mixture becomes a coarse meal. Everything should be chopped but not a pasty mix
Transfer the mixture to the parchment-lined baking sheet, and spread it out. If it’s pretty chunky, break it into smaller chunks. Drizzle the remaining teaspoon of oil over the mixture. Bake for 15 minutes, then move the mixture around on the pan, Move the center pieces to the outer edges and the pieces from the edges to the center of the pan. Continue baking for another 5 to 10 minutes, depending on your texture preference. If you like it really crisp, bake longer, but some of the smaller crumbs can get over roasted. Remove from the oven.

Meanwhile, assemble the salad and make the dressing.

Chop your greens, cucumber, and tomatoes, if you haven’t already, and add them to a bowl.
Add all the dressing ingredients to a small bowl and mix really well for half a min. Add water, as needed, to make a pourable dressing. Depending on the consistency of your tahini and non-dairy yogurt, you might need 1 to 3 tablespoons of water. Taste and adjust flavor, adding more salt if needed. You want it to be on the saltier side, since there is no salt on the greens and the veggies.
Drizzle about 2/3 of the dressing into the salad bowl and toss well. Top the salad with the warm chickpea crumbles. Add sprouts on top, if you want, then drizzle the remaining dressing on top. Garnish with lemon zest, black pepper, and vegan Parmesan, and it’s ready to serve. You can serve the salad as-is or toss everything together before serving. I like to keep the crumbles on top, so they stay crisp, especially if I’m serving for a get-together or lunch.

Video

Notes

Make Ahead Directions: Make the dressing ahead and store it in a closed container in the fridge. Chop the veggies and store them separately. You can also process the chickpea crumble mixture and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days, then bake the crumble just before serving. You don’t want to add the dressing into the mixture and store it, because the fresh veggies and the crumble will get too soft, so store those items separately, then assemble day-of for the best texture and flavor.

Optional Additions/Variations: pickled onion, roasted red bell pepper, use lentils instead of chickpeas in the crumble, add walnuts instead of the hemp seeds

This summer spinach salad is naturally gluten-free. It’s also nut-free and soy-free, as long as you use a nut-free and/or soy-free non-dairy yogurt and cheese.

Nutrition