Chickpea Tomato Bread Salad with Arugula Pesto

07.22.18
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Overhead Shot of Chickpea Tomato Bread Salad with Arugula Pesto

Heirloom tomatoes are king of the summer. There's nothing quite like the taste and texture of a perfectly ripe tomato. Take that and add a few of my favorite items for this delicious bread salad. A peppery arugula pesto is the flavor while the toasted bread brings the texture.

I could have stopped there but these types of salads often become my meals (like when I have leftovers of the salad on the night I'm frantically packing for vacation). When the bread is toasted well (dry throughout- crouton style), the bread will keep texture hours after the salad is assembled. It's a perfect picnic or lunch bread salad.

Tomato Bread Salad

variations

Greens: Swap the arugula for spinach or kale. You could also add greens to the salad and turn it into a more traditional salad. Lettuce would work great as a base for a salad like this.

Beans: Swap the chickpeas for white beans or possibly even black or French lentils.

Grains: If bread isn't your jam, swap it out for cooked grains. Heartier grains like farro, sorghum, or barley would work well.

Overhead Shot of Chickpea Tomato Bread Salad with Arugula Pesto
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Chickpea Tomato Bread Salad with Arugula Pesto

Salad Base
  • 1 ½ cups torn/cut bread pieces
  • 2 heirloom tomatoes
  • Pesto
  • ¾ cup arugula
  • ¼ cup fresh basil
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons toasted walnuts
  • Pinch of salt and pepper
Chickpeas
  • 1 cup cooked chickpeas (drained and rinsed if using canned)
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic (minced)
  • Pinch of salt
  1. Heat an oven to 400˚F. Place the torn or cut bread on a sheet tray and pop in the oven. Cook until the bread is crisp throughout and golden; 15 minutes or so. Core the tomatoes and cut into 1” or so pieces. Place in a bowl and set aside.
  2. In a food processor or blender, combine the ingredients for the pesto. Pulse/blend until combined; adding more olive oil or a splash of water as needed to thin well enough to blend. Measure out about ⅓ cup of the pesto and save the rest to use in another meal.
  3. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, chickpeas, and garlic. Cook until the garlic is fragrant and the chickpeas are hot; 3 to 4 minutes.
  4. Combine the croutons with the tomatoes, pesto, and garlicky chickpeas. Toss until well combined. Taste and add more salt if desired.
Notes
Tips + Tricks: the arugula pesto is great on pasta, pizza, and on grilled cheese sandwiches. You can even freeze it if needed.
Use up leftover ingredients: chickpeas, tomatoes, arugula

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6 comments on “Chickpea Tomato Bread Salad with Arugula Pesto”

  1. OH, yeah -- We are going to enjoy this meal !
    When you mention bread in the ingredients, is that 1 1/2 Cups of pieces or 1 1/2 slices of bread (pieces) or is that all the same? Thank you for you and your food inspirations, Heidi and happy tomato season to all.

  2. I just made this recipe tonight. Delicious! The texture was amazing. I subbed spinach for arugula and almonds for walnuts. I skipped cooking the chickpeas (just used rinsed canned) and it was still great! I will definitely make again.

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Welcome to my little internet nook. On this site you'll find over a thousand vegetarian recipes, pantry knowledge, and more. I'm ever obsessed with food from gardening, cooking, and preserving. I hope you'll find endless inspiration on these pages and visit often. 

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