15-minute arugula salad recipe with crispy meyer lemon rosemary chickpeas! A warm, vegan chickpea arugula salad that is super simple and loaded with flavor.
Hey, Rhubarbarians! Here we are with ANOTHER easy salad recipe. This warm arugula salad is one of my faves because it uses fresh meyer lemons!
I try to eat as many meyer lemons as I can this time of year because they don’t stick around for very long. They are much more mild than regular lemons and are almost like a tangerine-lemon hybrid. Perfect for sweet and savory dishes, or eating raw by themselves like Rhubarbaby has been doing! 🤷🏻♀️
If you’ve got some extra meyer lemons on hand, make a meyer lemon old fashioned to drink alongside this salad. You won’t regret it. 😉
Crispy sauteed lemon rosemary chickpeas
My favorite thing about this salad is the crispy chickpeas. They are sauteed with a bit of oil, fresh rosemary, and meyer lemons. The lemon gets a bit blackened and the chickpeas soak up all the flavor. You MIGHT want to double this batch and put some to the side to snack on! They are that good!
Rosemary meyer lemon salad dressing
The lemon rosemary dressing for this chickpea arugula salad is incredibly simple. Only 3 ingredients, lemon juice, rosemary, and olive oil. That’s it! I like to place the ingredients in a small mason jar with a tight fitting lid and shake until everything is emulsified. You can also whisk everything together in a small bowl if that’s easier.
Can I use regular lemons instead of meyer lemons?
I know meyer lemons aren’t always easy to find. They’re not as cheap as regular lemons either. The good news is that you CAN use regular lemons instead of meyer lemons. If you can get your hands on meyer lemons though, I highly recommend them.
There are a few things you can do:
- Use regular lemons when cooking the chickpeas, but make the dressing with half lemon juice and half tangerine juice.
- Add a bit of sweetener to the salad dressing with either honey or maple syrup. Just a teaspoon or so will go a long way.
More citrus salad inspiration:
Watermelon radish salad with orange and goat cheese
Grapefruit quinoa salad with herbs and walnuts
Winter beet, persimmon, and meyer lemon salad
How to make an arugula salad with crispy chickpeas
It only takes 15 minutes from start to finish to make this chickpea arugula salad! First you’ll want to start sauteeing the chickpeas with the lemon and rosemary. You want these to crisp up and the lemon to char a bit, so don’t stir too often.
While the chickpeas are crisping up in the pan, make your dressing. Either whisk the ingredients together until emulsified or follow the mason jar trick I mentioned above.
Put it all together! I liked this salad with avocado, radish, and meyer lemon slices. You can add any salad veggies or toppings that you’d like! Maybe some pine nuts or some feta cheese if you aren’t vegan. YOU DO YOU!
Arugula salad with meyer lemon rosemary chickpeas recipe
15-minute arugula salad recipe with crispy meyer lemon rosemary chickpeas! A bright, warm, vegan chickpea arugula salad that is super simple and loaded with flavor.
- 1 1/2 medium meyer lemons
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 15oz can chickpeas. Rinsed, drained, and patted dry
- 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- 2 large handfuls fresh arugula
- avocado, fresh radish, meyer lemon slices, or other salad fixings of your choice
- Salt and pepper
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Cut the 1/2 meyer lemon into quarters. Reserve the whole meyer lemon for the dressing. Heat 1 Tbsp of the oil in a small frying pan over medium high heat. Add the chickpeas, 1 Tbsp of the rosemary, and the 4 meyer lemon pieces. Saute, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes or until the chickpeas are crispy and the lemon is a bit charred.
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Meanwhile, squeeze the juice of the remaining meyer lemon into a container with a tight fitting lid. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil, and the remaining tsp of rosemary. Season with salt and pepper and shake until emulsified.
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Add 2-3 large handfuls of arugula to a salad bowl. Top with the chickpeas, the charred lemons, and the other salad fixings of your choosing. Pour on the dressing and toss. Season with salt and pepper to taste and toss again.
I hope you’ll give this lemony chickpea arugula salad a try! Snap a pic and give me a shout on social media! #Rhubarbarians
Trish
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Lisa says
Oh my gosh, I love the clean eating flavors in this salad. From the crispy chick peas to that bright, tangy dressing. Big on flavor and precisely what we need after months of soups, stews and braises! Please save a place t the table for me. I’ll bring wine.
Dana says
Arugula and lemon are a magical combo. I’m in love with this salad and its punch of protein from the chickpeas! I just happen to have some in my pantry, so I think I”m going to rock this for dinner this week. Simple, refreshing, and nutritious!
Debra says
This salad has my name all over it! I’ve only crisped chick peas in the oven before….so excited to try this stovetop technique! Meyer Lemons are an all time favorite and I also like to take advantage of their season, so this is just a perfect recipe to add to my list…plus that fresh rosemary? YUM.
Gloria says
I always have chickpeas in the house. What a great dinner salad. Hearty and full of flavour. Perfect meal for “meatless” Monday!!