Balela salad is a healthy, flavorful, and easy recipe to enjoy for lunch, dinner, or as a side. Served with whole wheat pita, the zesty mix of chickpeas, black beans, veggies, and fresh herbs creates a delightful meal that’s high in plant protein and fiber!
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On busy nights and hectic weekends, there’s nothing better than a simple salad sandwich. Dishes like my vegan shawarma sandwich and chicken salad are heavily featured in my recipe rotation for quick, easy, and satisfying meals. That’s why I love this new balela salad with pita. It’s a simple recipe that can be served in various ways depending on the occasion.
This recipe is healthy, delicious, and hearty but not heavy. I love that I can give my family a satisfying, healthy, tasty meal.
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Why You’ll Love Balela Salad With Pita
- Simple Ingredients: A Mediterranean salad might sound fancy, but this recipe is actually made with simple ingredients found in any grocery store. I usually have all of the ingredients on hand, which makes it a great option when I don’t know what to make.
- Easy: It only takes about 15 minutes to make this delicious recipe.
- Healthy: This recipe is loaded with wholesome ingredients like chickpeas, black beans, bell peppers, and tomatoes and packs a punch of vitamins, minerals, protein, and antioxidants.
- Versatile: Serve this balela salad in pita pockets or as a dip with crackers or pita chips.
Ingredients and Notes
Salad
- Chickpeas and Black Beans: This combination creates a hearty, earthy base for the salad and adds a ton of plant-based protein and fiber.
- Cherry Tomatoes: Tomatoes add a bright flavor and natural sweetness.
- Cucumber: Cucumber is cool and full of water – the perfect complement to the other bold flavors in the salad, and it has a nice crunch!
- Red Bell Pepper: Red bell pepper adds the perfect balance of sweetness and crunch.
- Red Onion: Red onion adds a touch of sweetness and a bold bite.
- Herbs: Fresh parsley and mint create a beautiful harmony of herbal flavors.
Dressing
- Olive Oil and Lemon Juice: Olive oil and lemon juice create a rich, luxurious base for the dressing with a bright citrus note.
- Seasonings: A blend of cumin, coriander, salt, and black pepper gives the dressing its bold flavor.
Serving Ideas
- Whole Wheat Pitas: Whole wheat pitas are soft and tender, pairing well with the bold flavors of the salad.
- Hummus: The earthy flavor of hummus balances the flavors of the salad.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for a full list of ingredients and their exact amounts.
Substitutions and Variations
- Black Beans: Black beans are the classic pairing with chickpeas, but your favorite beans will work.
- Bell Pepper: Any color of bell pepper will work in this recipe.
- Red Onion: For less bite, try a yellow or sweet onion.
- Pita Pockets: I prefer whole wheat, but you can use your favorite variety of pitas for this recipe or no pita at all.
- More Flavor: Add kalamata olives and crumbled vegan feta for more flavor. Or sprinkle with sumac, a traditional Middle Eastern spice that gives a nice citrus finish.
How to Make Balela Salad with Pita
- Combine all the vegetables and herbs for the salad in a large bowl.
- Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl until well combined.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat evenly, adjusting the seasoning as needed.
- Let the salad sit for 10 to 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together. Then enjoy at room temperature or chilled.
- Season with salt to taste Serve with pita wedges and a side of hummus.
FAQ
Balela salad is a traditional Middle Eastern dish typically found in countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Palestine. It is traditionally made with chickpeas, black beans, cucumber, tomatoes, fresh herbs, and a simple lemon vinaigrette.
Balela salad is an incredibly healthy recipe. It’s full of vegetables, chickpeas, and black beans, creating a dish low in fat and calories and full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, protein, and complex carbohydrates. It’s an excellent salad to take on the go for lunch. Its high fiber and protein content will fill you up and give you plenty of energy.
Draining canned beans and peas is important because the juice in the cans is incredibly salty and starchy. It creates an unpleasant texture in salads, chilis, and other recipes in which the beans or peas are used and adds far too much salt to the dish. Always be sure to rinse your chickpeas and beans too so that all the extra starch and salt washes away.
Expert Tips
- Thoroughly drain and rinse your chickpeas and black beans. The liquid in the cans is incredibly salty and starchy, creating an unwanted texture to the salad.
- Toss your vegetables with the dressing; don’t stir them. Stirring the mixture can smash those tender chickpeas and beans.
- Whisk your dressing vigorously to ensure the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Add the dressing ingredients to a jar with a tight-fitting lid to make things more accessible, and shake vigorously.
- Add garlic to the dressing for more bite.
- Let the salad sit for at least 15 minutes so the flavors meld. If you can let it sit longer, that’s even better!
Serving Suggestions
Serve this delicious chickpea salad as a sandwich filling on pitas or flatbread or with your favorite dippers, like these air-fried tortilla chips.
This is the perfect salad to bring to a picnic or potluck, and a big serving is wonderful for sharing.
Video
Storage
Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for 3-4 days. If you prefer your salad at room temperature, take it out of the fridge and let it sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.
More High Protein Vegan Salad Recipes!
Recipe
Balela Salad
Equipment
- Mesh sieve
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Ingredients
- 15 oz can of chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 15 oz can of black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 3 Persian cucumbers diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper diced
- ¼ cup red onion diced
- ½ cup fresh parsley roughly chopped
- ¼ cup fresh mint roughly chopped
Dressing
- 3 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
For Serving
- Whole Wheat Pita
- Hummus
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the chickpeas, black beans, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, and red onion.
- In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper until well combined.
- Pour the dressing over the beans and veggies
- Add the fresh chopped parsley and mint.
- Toss until everything is well-coated. Adjust seasoning as needed.
- Let the salad sit for at least 10-15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Video
Notes
- Thoroughly drain and rinse your chickpeas and black beans. The liquid in the cans is incredibly salty and starchy, creating an unwanted texture to the salad.
- Toss your vegetables with the dressing; don’t stir them. Stirring the mixture can smash those tender chickpeas and beans.
- Whisk your dressing vigorously to ensure the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Add the dressing ingredients to a jar with a tight-fitting lid to make things even easier and shake vigorously.
- Let the salad sit for at least 15 minutes so the flavors meld. If you can let it sit longer, that’s even better!
- Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
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