Chickpea Tomato Bread Salad with Arugula Pesto

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

Scale

1 ½ cups torn/cut bread pieces

2 heirloom tomatoes

¼ cup fresh basil

¼ cup olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons toasted walnuts

Pinch of salt and pepper

1 cup cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed if using canned

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

Pinch of salt

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.
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.
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.
Combine the croutons with the tomatoes, pesto, and garlicky chickpeas. Toss until well combined. Taste and add more salt if desired.

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

Find it online: https://naturallyella.com/chickpea-tomato-bread-salad/