- Prep-time: / Ready In:
- Makes 6 cups
- Serving size: 2 cups
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This party-worthy Moroccan bean salad from plant-based powerhouse Dreena Burton is flavorful, satisfying, and easy to make. It all starts with a sumptuously seasoned dressing that features ginger, cumin, cinnamon, and paprika, while nutty tahini and tart lemon juice give it a creamy texture that’s ideal for drizzling. A hearty combination of chickpeas, whole grains of your choice, roasted squash, and leafy greens make up the bulk of the salad, but this versatile recipe can be adjusted to fit whatever produce and legumes you have lying around your kitchen. Dried apricots and scallions add the finishing touch to this sweet-and-savory meal. Enjoy as a hearty lunch or serve as a side dish at a vegan potluck.
For more Moroccan inspiration, check out these tasty ideas:
- Moroccan Butternut Squash and Chickpea Stew
- Moroccan Carrot-Beet Salad
- Moroccan Chickpea-Potato Tagine
- Sweet Moroccan Pancakes with Chocolate Banana Sauce
By Dreena Burton,
Ingredients
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1½ tablespoons tahini
- 1½ tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger
- 1 very small clove garlic
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (1½ cups)
- 1½ cups cooked farro, quinoa, or brown rice (or one 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained)
- 1½ to 2 cups roughly chopped baby spinach or tender kale leaves
- 1½ cups chopped roasted winter squash or sweet potato, or steamed or roasted cauliflower florets
- ½ cup chopped red bell pepper or halved grape tomatoes
- ⅓ cup chopped dried apricots
- ⅓ cup sliced scallions
Instructions
- For Moroccan Salad Dressing, in a blender combine the first 9 ingredients (through paprika) and ¼ cup water. Cover and blend until smooth. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- In a large bowl combine the chickpeas and the remaining six ingredients; toss to combine. Add ½ cup of the Moroccan Salad Dressing; toss to coat. Taste and add more dressing, if you like. Season with salt and black pepper. Store any leftover salad dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Per serving (2 cups): 576 calories, 107 g carbohydrates, 026 g protein, 10 g total fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 110 mg sodium, 23 g fiber, 12 g sugar
Note: Nutritional information is provided as an estimate only.
Comments (5)
(5 from 4 votes)This is a super flavourful recipe! Every time I make it I am wowed!
I made this for an omnivore Easter Gathering. It was a hit and three people asked for the recipe! It's easy to prep ahead. I made the salad dressing 2 days ahead. Roasted the cauliflower the day ahead. Chopped the onions and apricots ahead. Added the dressing just before serving.
This is absolutely delicious! Only changes I made were: instead of the water, in all dressings, I prefer more of an oil-like texture so i mix 1/2 C water with 1 T ground chia seeds and mix that up really well with a fork a few times for around 5 min. I blended all the other dressing ingredients in a blender then added all the “chia oil” to it. Also didn’t mince the garlic or ginger but instead grated them so they’d blend better in a small blender. Lastly, cut the maple syrup to 1 t and added 2 T of date paste, for lower glycemic. Went with all the other recommended ingredients… sweet potatoes, farro, roasted cauliflower and apricots, chickpeas, red bell, scallions—measuring out the quantities I wanted to serve in each bowl, not going my recipe portions because I wanted there to be enough protein per person (each got more of everything). A perfect holiday feast! I could eat this every week!
Very flavorful! I used spring mix, quinoa and sweet potatoes. I can see how cauliflower would have been tasty but just used sweet potatoes. Dried apricots gave a really nice taste. I think almonds, sunflower seeds or hemp seeds would make a nice addition next time. Recommend! Stores nicely for the week too.
Really flexible recipe, perfect when you look in the fridge and have all these vegetables you don't know what to do with. The dressing is what makes it quite amazing. Mine: Roasted cauliflower/broccoli/tomatoes TJs Rice Medley (Trader Joes) TJs White northern beans Rainbow Kale Raisins (in place of the apricots) Sundried tomatoes