Main Dish Salad with Hummus Dressing (20 Minutes)

Name: Main Dish Salad
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup dry quinoa (or 1 1/2 cups cooked); 15 ounces chickpeas (canned, drained and rinsed (or 1 1/2 cups cooked)); 2 teaspoons olive oil (or coconut aminos ); 1/2 teaspoon paprika; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder; Salt (or salt substitute to taste); 1 1/2 cups chopped cucumber ((about 1 medium)); 1/2 pint grape or cherry tomatoes (quartered (about 1 cup)); 1/2 medium red onion (small dice (about 1 cup)); 1/3 cup capers (rinsed, or pitted chopped kalamata olives); 6.5 ounces marinated artichoke hearts (jarred or canned (quartered)); 2 1/2 cups baby arugula (or baby kale or spinach, or chopped green lettuce); 1 tablespoon hemp hearts (optional); 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons hummus; 1 3/4 teaspoons red wine vinegar; 1 3/4 teaspoons lemon juice; 2 tablespoons water (plus more as needed)

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This 20-minute Main Dish Salad combines quinoa, chickpeas, and fresh veggies with your choice of greens and a 3-ingredient hummus dressing. It's a quick, satisfying meal with optional roasted chickpeas for added flavor and crunch. Perfect for a nutritious and easy dinner.

Main dish salad: Arugula, quinoa, chickpeas, artichoke hearts, capers, tomatoes, cucumber and hummus dressing in a white bowl.

This longevity main dish salad is packed with health-boosting ingredients: capers for quercetin, quinoa to lower triglycerides, and arugula for its anti-cancer sulforaphane. It also includes long pepper and black cumin for anti-aging properties, red onion to enhance iron and zinc absorption even in the presence of phytates, and marjoram, the herb with the highest antioxidant content.

Prep this balanced salad ahead of time for a quick weeknight main dish. It's also perfect for barbecues, potlucks, picnics, or a packed lunch. It's wholesome, filling, and delicious. Plus, the creamy hummus dressing takes less than one minute to make, and requires only 3 ingredients! Make extra for all your salads throughout the week.

This recipe was inspired by my Edamame Quinoa Salad on this site, as well as this Protein-Packed Quinoa & Kale Salad.

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👩🏼‍🌾 Main Dish Salad Ingredients
🥬 Substitutions
📖 How to Make This Main Dish Salad
✔️ Expert Tips
🙋🏽‍♀️ Recipe FAQs
🍽 Related Recipes
👩🏽‍🍳 Made This Recipe?
Main Dish Salad
💬 Comments

👩🏼‍🌾 Main Dish Salad Ingredients

Quinoa, roasted chickpeas, chopped cucumber, red onion, grape tomatoes, kalamata olives, and artichoke hearts in glass containers. Hummus, red wine vinegar and arugula in white bowls, plus one cut lemon. Labeled on a white marble board.

Quinoa is high in protein and takes just 15 minutes to cook. Use white, red, black, or tri-color quinoa as desired.
Chickpeas transform this salad into a balanced meal. Roast them beforehand to make crispy croutons, or simply drain and rinse.
Hummus adds a creamy texture and tons of flavor to the dressing. Purchase premade hummus or use one of my antioxidant-rich hummus recipes.
Marinated artichoke hearts are a convenient way to add even more flavor to salads, but they are optional. Purchase the marinated jarred or canned variety, preferably quartered.
Baby arugula leaves are perfectly sized so as not to overwhelm this dish with greens! However, most types of salad greens work great.
For a longevity salad: Swap the olives for capers, containing the longevity-enhancing quercetin. Enhance the dressing with 1 teaspoon of ground long pepper, a dash of ground black cumin seeds, and 1 teaspoon of marjoram, all known for their longevity benefits. Find the anti-aging ingredients here.

See the recipe card for quantities.

🥬 Substitutions

Quinoa - Instead of quinoa, use farro or barley, millet, wholewheat couscous, or brown rice.
Chickpeas - use white, black, kidney, or pinto beans instead (do not roast)
Baby arugula- use the same amount of baby kale, baby spinach, or chopped green lettuce instead
Olives - substitute with capers for the longevity vitamin quercetin
Red onion - serve with my healthy Quick Pickled Onions instead
Hummus - Purchase premade hummus or use one of my antioxidant-rich hummus recipes.
For a longevity salad: Swap the olives for capers, containing the longevity-enhancing quercetin. Enhance the dressing with 1 teaspoon of ground long pepper, a dash of ground black cumin seeds, and 1 teaspoon of marjoram, all known for their longevity benefits. Find the anti-aging ingredients here.

Noodles are also delicious in salads! Try this Simple Tofu Noodles recipe. For more easy salad dinner ideas, visit my Vegan Salad Recipes page.

📖 How to Make This Main Dish Salad

To make this easy salad in 20 minutes: Start by cooking the quinoa, and roasting the chickpeas (optional), at the same time. Chop the veggies, and make the hummus dressing while the quinoa is cooking. Once everything is ready, mix well to combine. You can serve this salad warm, or wait until everything cools before combining.

Add the chickpeas straight from the can (drained and rinsed), or roast them to make crispy gluten-free croutons.

Chickpeas in a colander, olive oil in a glass jar, and garlic powder, chipotle powder, and paprika in a small white dipping bowl.

Step 1. Optional for roasting the chickpeas: garlic powder, paprika, chipotle powder, optional olive oil, and salt or salt substitute. (See recipe card.)

Cooked chickpeas drying between layers of a striped kitchen towel.

Step 2. Optional for crispy chickpeas: Rub the chickpeas between layers of a kitchen or paper towel to dry them before adding the seasonings and oil.

Seasoned crispy roasted chickpeas on a stainless steel rimmed baking tray.

Step 3. Optional for roasting the chickpeas: Roast the chickpeas at 425ºF for 15 minutes. Then change the oven setting to broil, and cook for about 3 minutes more, or until golden brown and crispy.

Mixing hummus, lemon, red wine vinegar, and seasoning in a glass pyrex with a whisk.

Step 4. For the hummus dressing, mix hummus, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, and water.

Mixing hummus dressing in a glass pyrex with a whisk.

Step 5. Mix well. Optional: Add marjoram, ground long pepper, and black cumin seeds for a longevity dressing.

Step 6. For serving: Toss the salad with the dressing until everything is well combined. You can also dress it ahead of time for easy meal prep.

✔️ Expert Tips

For a longevity salad: Swap the olives for capers, containing the longevity-enhancing quercetin. Enhance the dressing with 1 teaspoon of ground long pepper, a dash of ground black cumin seeds, and 1 teaspoon of marjoram, all known for their longevity benefits. Find the anti-aging ingredients here.
Choose red or black quinoa with about twice the antioxidant power of white quinoa.
Roast the chickpeas on a large rimmed baking dish in a single layer so they cook evenly and get extra crispy.
Storage: Refrigerate any leftover salad in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Make an extra batch of roasted chickpeas to add to lunches and dinners throughout the week. They are so convenient for adding plant-based protein to almost any meal. Refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

🙋🏽‍♀️ Recipe FAQs

How do I meal-prep this salad?

Cook the quinoa and chickpeas, and chop the veggies in advance to make assembly a breeze-just 5 minutes to toss everything with the dressing. Alternatively, you can prepare and dress the salad the night before; it holds up well, allowing the flavors to meld for an even better taste.

Can I make this salad without oil?

Skip the olive oil for roasting the chickpeas, and use coconut aminos or a squeeze of lemon juice instead. Or add the chickpeas without roasting. Purchase oil-free hummus or use one of my antioxidant-rich hummus recipes.

Is quinoa healthy?

In a randomized controlled study, eating a cup of cooked quinoa daily for 12 weeks reduced triglycerides by 36%, similar to the effects of medication or high-dose fish oil. Red and black quinoa have about twice the antioxidant power of white quinoa. This study highlighted that polyphenols in red quinoa, particularly bound polyphenols (BPE), effectively help control blood sugar levels after meals. Additionally, quinoa is rich in magnesium, iron, and zinc, and is naturally gluten-free.