High-Protein Chickpea Quinoa Salad
8-ingredient High-Protein Chickpea Quinoa Salad with over 30 grams of protein per serving. Gluten-free. Perfect for meal prep. Serves 3 to 6.
Servings: 3 Jars
Calories: 867kcal
Ingredients
- 30 ounces chickpeas 2 (15-ounce) cans, drained, and rinsed (or 3 cups cooked)
- Dash of paprika (optional)
- Dash of garlic powder (optional)
- ¼ cup plus ½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
- 1 cup dry quinoa or 4 cups cooked
- 5 medium Roma tomatoes diced (about 8 ounces)
- Salt to taste
- ¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons lemon juice (about 3 medium lemons)
- 1 long English cucumber diced (about 3 cups)
- 1 ½ cups diced red onion (about 1 medium)
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon hemp seeds or hearts (optional)
- 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Roast the chickpeas (optional): Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Rub the chickpeas between layers of a kitchen or paper towel to dry. Transfer them to a large bowl. Add a generous dash of paprika, garlic powder, and salt, plus a drizzle of olive oil. Toss until evenly coated. Place them on a large rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Roast for 15 minutes. Change the oven setting to broil and cook for about 3 minutes more, or until crispy.
- Cook the quinoa according to the directions on the packet. Set aside for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Transfer to a large rimmed dish to cool.
- Drain tomatoes (optional): Meanwhile, transfer the chopped tomatoes to a strainer. Add a generous dash of salt and toss until evenly coated. Set aside to drain. Toss the tomatoes to remove excess liquid.
- Make jars (optional): Place 3 (32-ounce) Mason jars in a row. To each jar, add 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 cup cucumber, ¾ cup tomatoes, ½ cup red onion, 1 cup chickpeas, 1 ⅓ cups quinoa, 3 tablespoons hemp seeds (if using), and ⅓ cup cilantro. Cover and refrigerate up to 5 days.
- For serving: Jars: Invert the jar and shake it over a medium bowl. Mix to combine. Add salt, pepper, and more lemon juice to taste.Skip the jars and combine the salad and dressing in a large bowl instead. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Video
Notes
- Hemps seeds (or hearts) add 10 grams protein to each jar. Without them, each jar contains 25 grams protein.
- Servings: 1 to 2 servings per jar
- Roasting the chickpeas, and salting the tomatoes, adds more depth of flavor, but these steps are optional. Roast chickpeas on a large rimmed sheet in a single layer for crispiest results. The broil setting is equivalent to the grill setting on some ovens.
- Drain the tomatoes well before adding them to the jars.
- Cook the quinoa in vegetable broth instead of water for additional flavor.
- Mason jars: To fit this salad into jars in equal amounts without leftovers, the combined jar capacity must equal 96 ounces. For example, you can use 8 (12-ounce) jars, 6 (16-ounce) jars, and so on. Refrigerate them lid-side up for up to 5 days.
- Skip the jars and combine the salad and dressing in a large bowl instead. Refrigerate for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 Jar | Calories: 867kcal | Carbohydrates: 90g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 18g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Sodium: 120mg | Potassium: 1138mg | Fiber: 20g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1447IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 206mg | Iron: 11mg