Vegetarian Taco Salad with Crispy Chickpeas
Simply the best vegetarian taco salad, full of flavor and texture. For the meatless "taco meat" we used spiced fried smashed chickpeas that add flavor and crispy crunch. With all the classic taco salad fillings and an easy creamy dressing, this salad is an easy win for taco lovers!
Ingredients
- 2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1-2 medium ripe avocados, cubed
- 5 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ large bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup grated cheese
- 3 tbsp red onion
- 3 tbsp sliced black olives
- ½ cup tortilla chips, crumbled
- 3-4 tbsp cilantro, chopped
Creamy Dressing
- 4 tbsp sour cream
- 2 tbsp mayo
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp garlic powder
Chickpeas
- 14 oz canned chickpeas, drained and patted dry
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 0.5 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 0.5 tsp ground coriander
- 0.5 tsp garlic powder
- 0.5 tsp salt
- olive oil, for frying
Instructions
- Prepare the dressing by whisking together all of the ingredients. Set aside.
- Next, prepare the chickpeas. Place the drained chickpeas into a large bowl. Then use a potato masher to lightly smash them. You want some to be left whole while others are in smaller pieces – this creates the most interesting texture.
- Heat a large saute or frying pan with a shallow layer of oil over a low/medium heat. Add the chickpeas and let them sit for 2 minutes in the pan, then mix them up, let them sit a little longer, and repeat the process until the chickpeas are just starting to turn a more golden color and the smaller pieces are getting crisp. This generally takes around 5 minutes for me, but different pans and heat levels may be faster or slower.
- Add the seasoning mix to the pan with another glug of oil and cook for another couple of minutes until there are really defined crispy bits and the spices are well toasted. Make sure the heat is on the lower end for this – we don't want to burn the spices.Remove from the heat and let sit while you prepare the rest of the salad.
- Add all of the cold ingredients to a large bowl and toss together.
- Add the dressing, and toss, before adding the chickpeas and tossing just once or twice to mix them in.
- Serve immediately.
Calories: 401kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 28g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Monounsaturated Fat: 12g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 26mg, Sodium: 656mg, Potassium: 940mg, Fiber: 11g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 19286IU, Vitamin C: 30mg, Calcium: 271mg, Iron: 4mg