Kale Caesar salad with roasted chickpeas — a healthier take on a classic

I became obsessed with kale Caesar salads last year. With a husband who orders a Caesar salad literally every time we’re out at a restaurant (I wish I was exaggerating), we eat a lot of them, and I really needed to change things up.

Enter kale.

It’s a more nutritious way to get your Caesar on, for sure. Trying to think a bit outside the box, the idea struck me recently that replacing the croutons with roasted chickpeas would be one genius way to amp up the nutrition factor even more and add some extra satiety to our favorite salad. Making them my favorite chip flavor (salt and vinegar FTW always) was just a bonus.

Salt- and vinegar-roasted chickpea kale Caesar salad recipe

Serves 2 – 4

Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 18 minutes | Total time: 23 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 8 cups chopped kale, stems removed
• 1/4 cup Caesar dressing
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Place the rinsed chickpeas on a kitchen towel, and pat dry.
3. Add the chickpeas to a baking sheet, and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper to coat.
4. Roast for 10 minutes, then shake the pan, and roast for another 5 – 7 minutes, until the chickpeas start to turn golden brown and crisp up. Remove from the oven, toss with the vinegar, and return them to the oven for 1 more minute. Remove, and let cool.
5. While the chickpeas roast, toss the kale with the Caesar dressing until fully coated.
6. Transfer to a serving bowl, and top with chickpeas and grated Parmesan cheese.

More kale recipes

Mexican kale salad
Kale frittata
Garlicky kale and chicken pizza