I have a bit of a salad problem. While other people plan their salads thoughtfully—choosing one vegetable as the pièce de résistance, or winnowing a list of ingredients down to a reasonable four or five—I overpack. I see a salad like my refrigerator's dumping ground: Cooked lentils? Throw them in! Wilting herbs? Why not? Hard-boiled eggs? Sure, fine. Fish sauce? Parmesan cheese? Chopped almonds? Okay.
So when I want my salad to be a little more purposeful—when I don't want to rifle through a leafy grab bag—I look to experts in the field of refined salads for inspiration. The jumping-off point for this recipe, as for many others, comes from blogger and cookbook author Heidi Swanson. With every new recipe she features, I convince myself that I would be satisfied eating that and only that for the remainder of my life. This one—with burst cherry tomatoes, avocado cubes, tortilla crumbles, beans two ways (crunchy chickpeas, soft black beans), all on a bed of romaine—is no different.
(Why is it called a taco salad? "It's all the things you love about a taco, in salad form," writes Heidi. And I'm on board.)
I zigzagged away from the original recipe, switching from sautéed tempeh to roasted chickpeas, replacing the ketchup-based dressing with a cilantro-lime vinaigrette, and making a simple DIY "taco seasoning" instead of buying a jar from the store.
Here's how it goes:
- First, prep the chickpeas. I use Melissa Clark's technique for crispy roasted chickpeas. By patting down the chickpeas and letting them air-dry for an hour, you'll wick the moisture away, which means the beans will crisp, rather than steam, in the oven.
- As you wait for the chickpeas to dry, you'll have time to prep all the rest of your salad components: Halve the cherry tomatoes (it goes much faster if you use this trick), slice the scallions, chop the romaine, drain the black beans, and whiz together the vinaigrette, a blend of cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, jalapeño, and a touch of honey (or agave) to balance the sharpness. If you don't care for cilantro, you could use basil in its place, or even thin out a green sauce you already have with some additional oil.
- While the chickpeas bake, roast cherry tomatoes with garlic cloves on a separate sheet pan. Both trays will be ready at the same time—how's that for efficiency?
- Once the chickpeas are out of the oven, toss them with a spice mixture of chili, cumin, paprika, cayenne, and then pile your ingredients into bowls, finishing with cubed avocado and crumbled tortilla chips, which will inevitably absorb the flavorful dressing as you eat.
A few recipe notes:
- If you want to cut back on your prep time, spread the chickpeas on a paper towel-lined baking sheet in the morning, then stick them the fridge until you're ready to bake.
- All of the cooked components—the chickpeas, the tomatoes, and the vinaigrette—can be made in advance.
- I like to make extra chickpeas, tomatoes, and vinaigrette. The chickpeas make a crouton alternative for all ranges of soups and cooked vegetables, and with the dressing and the roasted tomatoes, you're all set up to riff on this Half-Roasted Tomato Salad with Salsa Verde—or a really good piece of ricotta-topped toast.
| 2 | cups cooked chickpeas, rinsed if canned |
| 1 | bunch cilantro, long stems trimmed and discarded (about 4 cups loosely packed) |
| 1 | jalapeño, seeds and white membranes removed, roughly chopped |
| Juice of 2 limes | |
| 1/2 | cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling |
| 1/2 | teaspoon honey or agave |
| 1/4 | teaspoon salt |
| 2 | heaping cups cherry tomatoes (about 300 grams), with any larger ones halved |
| 2 | garlic cloves, peeled and smashed |
| 1 1/2 | teaspoons chili powder |
| 1/4 | teaspoon ground cumin |
| 1/4 | teaspoon smoked paprika |
| 1 | dash cayenne |
| 2 | cups cooked chickpeas, rinsed if canned |
| 1 | bunch cilantro, long stems trimmed and discarded (about 4 cups loosely packed) |
| 1 | jalapeño, seeds and white membranes removed, roughly chopped |
| Juice of 2 limes | |
| 1/2 | cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling |
| 1/2 | teaspoon honey or agave |
| 1/4 | teaspoon salt |
| 2 | heaping cups cherry tomatoes (about 300 grams), with any larger ones halved |
| 2 | garlic cloves, peeled and smashed |
| 1 1/2 | teaspoons chili powder |
| 1/4 | teaspoon ground cumin |
| 1/4 | teaspoon smoked paprika |
| 1 | dash cayenne |
| 1 | head romaine, thinly sliced and washed and dried well |
| one | 15-ounce can black beans, drained, rinsed, and dried |
| 1 | avocado, cubed |
| 1 | handful corn tortilla chips, broken up into large bits or halves |
| 1/2 | cup thinly sliced scallions |
| 1 | head romaine, thinly sliced and washed and dried well |
| one | 15-ounce can black beans, drained, rinsed, and dried |
| 1 | avocado, cubed |
| 1 | handful corn tortilla chips, broken up into large bits or halves |
| 1/2 | cup thinly sliced scallions |
Since you'll likely refuse to give up this salad once tomatoes are harder to come by, swap in another roasted vegetable, like carrots, squash, or mushrooms.
And while it'd be hypocritical of me to encourage you to use this salad as a catch-all for your refrigerator's bits and pieces, it would gladly accommodate pickled red onions, crumbles of queso fresco, and toasted pumpkin seeds. (But don't say I told you so!)
How do you turn a salad into a complete meal? Tell us in the comments below.
A New Way to Dinner, co-authored by Food52's founders Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, is an indispensable playbook for stress-free meal-planning (hint: cook foundational dishes on the weekend and mix and match ‘em through the week).
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Written by: Sarah Jampel
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