A Hearty, Summery Dinner Salad
This drop-dead gorgeous dinner salad is composed of flavors and textures that scream summertime—a bed of tender butter lettuce (you know we’re obsessed, right?), blushing radishes, fresh cucumber, creamy avocados and smoky roasted chickpeas. Thanks to the chickpeas it’s got just a hint of heft, meaning that this summer salad can stand alone as a light dinner. For bigger appetites, you can always add a baguette or some grilled salmon to round it out into a more filling supper. And the thing that really makes this composed salad recipe a winner? A creamy, healthy homemade yogurt-dill dressing. For more refreshing salad recipes, try our cool Cucumber salad.
What’s This About Yogurt In A Salad Dressing?
We dress this colorful salad in a creamy, fresh dressing that also happily doubles as a delicious veggie dip. We’re not using yogurt just because it’s a healthier base for a salad dressing than mayonnaise or sour cream, we also love its unique creamy-tartness. That cool tang is a perfect foil for the sharpness of radishes and the paprika-flecked smokiness of the roasted chickpeas. All that paired with the ripply crunch of butter lettuce and, well, let’s just say you’ll have yourself a mighty good salad. OK, so you’re into this dressing now, right? In addition to salt and pepper, you’ll only need four ingredients to make it:
- Greek yogurt
- Lemon
- Apple cider vinegar
- Fresh dill, minced
Roasted Chickpeas—The Best Salad Topper Ever, The End.
They really are, though. This salad is almost vegan—if you use a different dressing it can easily be vegan—but as it is, it’s a hearty, filling vegetarian dinner thanks to these roasted chickpeas. Loaded with fiber, iron and protein, they add both bulk and nutrition. Plus, roasting them makes them 100% delicious. Here’s how the magic happens:
- Toss the chickpeas with olive oil, sea salt and smoked paprika (also called pimentón).
- Nibble on them, because they honestly already taste pretty good.
- Roast! Pop them onto a sheet pan and roast them! 400° F for 40 minutes.
- Wait! Pull the chickpeas out and let them sit for ten minutes.
- Roast again! Ten more minutes—just until they’re nice and crunchy.
- Let them cool a bit before digging into the perfectly little crispy bites.
Tools You’ll Need:
More Summery Salads That Double As Dinner
The secret to turning a veggie-loaded salad into a meal is to dress it up a little bit. These four salad recipes are some of our favorite ways to fill up on green stuff:
Have You Ever Been This Excited For Radish Season?
Radishes always look so inviting, with their vibrant magenta skin and cheery green tops, but until we dreamt up this salad recipe we were never quite sure how best to use them. We hope this salad makes you as excited for radish-gobbling as we are. Let us know how it turns out for you! Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so we can see your handiwork! Happy eating.
