Veggie-Heavy Aldi Chickpea Salad
You all have seen me pack this for my work lunches lots of times! I used Margin Making Mom's original recipe, but I've tweaked it a little bit, mainly to make it more veggie-heavy.
This is no criticism of Margin Making Mom's version; hers is quite faithful to the Aldi original! But I am always trying to get more veggies in, which is why I changed it a little.
It's a pretty flexible recipe; you can basically add whatever raw veggies you have on hand, and it's fine.
However, do not give in to the temptation to leave the dried cranberries out. I did that once, and the resulting salad was definitely missing a little something.
The original called for a lot more edamame than I use; I have no beef with edamame, but it is kinda tedious to shell it (Aldi only sells the kind in the pod), so I use less.
Making this is super simple. First, mix the dressing ingredients in a big bowl.
Drain and rinse your chickpeas and add them to the bowl.
Slice up about four cups of veggies, and add them to the bowl, along with the edamame and the dried cranberries.
Toss it all together and refrigerate for a few hours before serving.
And that's all there is to it. Happy salad-making!
Aldi Chickpea Salad
A more veggie-forward version of the chickpea salad Aldi sells
Ingredients
Dressing
- 6 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
Salad
- 15-oz can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained well
- ½ cup shelled edamame
- 4 cups sliced veggies (cucumbers, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, etc.)
- ½ cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Whisk dressing ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Add salad ingredients; toss to mix well.
- Store in refrigerator for several hours before serving.
Notes
When I pack this for work lunches, I usually include some grilled chicken or sauteed shrimp, for a little more protein.
Nutrition Information
Yield 12 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 144Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 7gSodium 120mgCarbohydrates 17gFiber 5gSugar 10gProtein 3g
This looks and sounds amazing! Definitely will be trying this. I get my shelled edamame at Target; Trader Joe's also has it but costs more there.
Thank you for the tip! I'm having a hard time finding shelled edamame (aka mukimame) in the usual supermarkets these days so I just checked and it's at the local Target (and at a pretty good price, like you said!
My Aldi carries both shelled and non-shelled edemame. In fact, it's the only place I've been able to find the shelled in my area which I thought was crazy. I throw the edemame in my jasmine rice while it's cooking to add some yum when I make our rice bowls. We then add a protein like meatballs, shrimp or fish with some pickled carrots or cucumber on the side.
Ohhhhh lucky!! Maybe mine will start carrying it too.
I just got some (shelled) in an ALDI that is likely in your general vicinity (possibly close to work?) so if you feel like a field trip one day maybe you could stock your freezer with a few bags! (And/or maybe ask your ALDI to stock them)
I agree that's a game-changer - it's enough of a hassle to take the pods off that I generally skip edamame if I can't find shelled.
Ooooooh I will look! I’ve only seen in the shell there but I will look harder next time.
Yum! We had a very similar chickpea salad last night, but with fresh feta and parsley, together with tomatoes and cucumber. I could eat chickpeas every day. I highly recommend the Goya brand, they are by far the plumpest ones.
I also get shelled edamame from Trader Joe's.
OOO, that sounds sooooo yummy with feta and parsley added!
I have a version of this in my fridge at all times. We will scoop a cup of it for the "hangries", use it to top a garden salad or add cheese and fill a pita. We also add zest of a lemon if I have it.
Great recipe and it is so healthy and filling.
I have been squeezing some lime on mine and it's so good!
The last time I made this,I used Katy's Tea Towel Dressing (from the Nonconsumer Advocate) instead of the recipe's dressing. I thought it was much better.
Ooh, I will try that next time!
I can find it in the freezer section of my grocery store. Not sure if it is shelled or not.
Keep an eye out at Aldi!! I have found shelled edamame a handful of times over the years. You just have to go though the box where the in shelled are. As Aldi does, sometimes one box has multiple kids of product:)
it looks terrif. i may even try it someday. thank you.
I haven't really liked carrots in a long time, although I remember eating them raw and cooked a lot as a child.
We have a CSA and we've been getting what we affectionately refer to as "Chernobyl Carrots". They are HUGE--3 inches or so in diameter, around 6" long without the tops. I was making a recipe once and weighed out the ingredients. One of the carrots weighed more than a pound. ONE carrot! But the taste, OMG. They taste like carrots did in my childhood. They are so delicious. I realized it's the bland flavorless modern carrots I don't like. Just like I can't eat modern watermelons They don't taste like watermelons to me. Just flavorless mushy stuff. Heirloom watermelons with seeds taste like my childhood.
There are two Chernobyl carrots in my fridge right now. This looks like a great way to use one. And it's our CSA week, so we may get MORE. Our CSA is great, but someone needs to write a book called "1000 ways to use up cabbages as big as beachballs". LOL!
I get shelled edamame at Trader Joes. I'll have to try this recipe - looks delicious.
I love this salad! Thanks so much for sharing it here on the blog. I make it occasionally, especially in the warmer months. One of my kids doesn't like the dressing so we set some of the salad aside before adding the dressing. He uses ranch instead.
When you take this as a lunch, do you only take 1/12th as a serving? That would seem like a very small lunch to me, but maybe I’m just not seeing how big the recipe really is.
Oh, no, I take a lot more than that. But the original Aldi containers are pretty small servings, so that's what the recipe calculations are based on.
I actually have no idea how much I take; I just spoon a hefty helping into a container, add some chicken or shrimp on top, and go!
I just noticed the chick pea salad today, after your post. It was delicious and I look forward to making my own with your recipe. 🙂
Thank you!
I can't wait to try this! The print recipe button is not working for me. Not sure if this is defunct for anyone else or maybe it's just my browser?
Ohh, shoot! Let me see if I can figure that out.
Update: I just tried it and it works fine for me. Do you maybe have popups disabled? The printable version pops up in a new window and maybe your browser is blocking it.