30-Minute Chickpea Tikka Salad

Serves 4 · 12 min prep · 10 min cook

Ingredients

• 2 cans (15 oz each) canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 3 tablespoons tikka masala paste
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 medium cucumber, diced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 4 cups baby spinach
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

1. 1Pat the drained chickpeas dry with a clean kitchen towel so the tikka coating clings well and does not steam.
2. 2In a large mixing bowl whisk together the Greek yogurt, tikka masala paste, lemon juice, minced garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper until smooth and vibrant orange-red.
3. 3Add the chickpeas to the yogurt mixture and toss thoroughly until every chickpea is evenly coated; let them sit 5 minutes while you prep the vegetables so flavors bloom.
4. 4Dice the cucumber, halve the cherry tomatoes, thinly slice the red onion, and roughly chop the cilantro, keeping everything crisp and ready.
5. 5Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil; when it shimmers, tip in the coated chickpeas in a single layer.
6. 6Cook the chickpeas undisturbed for 2 minutes to get light char on the bottoms, then stir and continue cooking 4 to 5 minutes more until edges look toasted and fragrant.
7. 7Remove the skillet from heat and let the warm chickpeas cool 2 minutes so they do not wilt the greens completely.
8. 8Divide the baby spinach among four bowls or meal-prep containers as the base.
9. 9Spoon the warm tikka chickpeas over the spinach, then scatter cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, and cilantro on top.
10. 10Drizzle any remaining yogurt sauce from the bowl over each salad and give a final grind of black pepper.
11. 11Toss gently at the table or keep components separate for meal-prep lunches that stay crisp up to 3 days in the fridge.
12. 12Serve immediately while the chickpeas still carry gentle warmth against the cool crunchy vegetables.