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Tuesday, November 4, 2025

Our Favourite No Lettuce Salad


When you’re searching for a lightweight and refreshing salad that skips the lettuce however not the flavour, this No Lettuce Salad is your reply. Filled with garbanzo beans, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and a zesty dressing on a mattress of cottage cheese, it’s a satisfying and healthful salad that’s excellent for any meal.

A bowl with chickpeas, cucumber and rice.

Whether or not you’re having fun with this salad as a lightweight lunch or a facet dish, it’s a easy and nutritious possibility that’s something however boring. We’ve been making a model of this salad for YEARS once we’re hungry for veggies, however not searching for a standard lettuce salad.

It’s such a Match Foodie Studio staple when there’s “nothing to eat for lunch.” We actually suppose you’ll love this lettuce-free, flavor-packed salad as a lot as we do!

No Lettuce Salad Substances

  • Garbanzo beans: These give our salad a pleasant, hearty base and usher in some protein energy.
  • Cherry tomatoes: These little gems usher in freshness and a touch of sweetness, plus they make the salad look vibrant.
  • Pink onion: Provides a pointy and savory kick that takes the flavour up a notch.
  • Mini cucumbers: They provide the salad that satisfying crunch all of us love and add a refreshing vibe.
  • Balsamic vinegar: These items provides a little bit of candy and tangy goodness to our dressing, making it oh-so-tasty.
  • Olive oil: It pairs completely with the balsamic vinegar for a easy but flavorful dressing.
  • Contemporary lemon juice: This zesty addition brings a burst of citrusy freshness that brightens up the entire dish.
  • Sea salt: Only a pinch of this magical seasoning enhances the flavors and makes all the things style even higher.
  • Freshly floor pepper: A bit kick of spiciness that performs properly with all the opposite flavors.
  • All the things bagel seasoning: That is the key ingredient that makes our salad distinctive and savory.
  • Cottage cheese: It’s the creamy, protein-packed base that makes this salad satisfying and scrumptious.
Chickpea chickpea salad.

Straightforward Ingredient Swaps

This salad is tremendous versatile! We’re all the time utilizing the veggies we’ve got available, so this recipe actually is only one variation of a brilliant versatile salad. Straightforward ingredient swaps embody:

  • Cheese: we used 2% cottage cheese, however be at liberty to make use of any number of cottage cheese you’d like!
  • Veggies: any number of tomatoes or onion can be a simple swap for the cherry tomatoes and purple onion this recipe requires. Equally, it’s also possible to use any number of cucumber.
  • Canned beans: the garbanzo beans on this recipe add good taste and protein, however one other white bean like cannellini beans may even work.
  • Nuts & seasonings: we love the savory taste of all the things bagel seasoning, however pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds or a chopped nut like almonds or pecans would additionally complement this recipe effectively.

High Ideas for No Lettuce Salad

Serve instantly or retailer individually: plate this salad with the cottage cheese in case you’re planning to serve it instantly, however in case you’re hoping to meal prep it for later, we advocate storing the veggies and dressing individually from the cottage cheese.

Make it your individual: don’t have all these veggies available? No drawback! This no lettuce salad is tremendous versatile. Try a few of our straightforward substitutions above.

Chickpea and cucumber salad in a bowl.Chickpea and cucumber salad in a bowl.

Learn how to Serve This No Lettuce Salad

You possibly can serve this salad as a predominant meal or a facet. My household just lately had this with grilled steak and baked potatoes and it was an ideal recent pairing. For dessert, strive an in-season fruit crisp akin to cherry crisp or triple berry crisp.

As for tips on how to eat this salad itself, you’ll be able to completely take pleasure in it as is with a fork, BUT the dipping choices are additionally infinite, and a few of our favorites embody:

  • Toasted slices of French bread
  • Crackers
  • Tortilla chips
  • Pita
  • Naan
Chickpea salad with yoghurt and cucumbers.Chickpea salad with yoghurt and cucumbers.

Storage Directions

This salad is greatest made and served instantly, however in case you’re meal prepping or saving for later, we advocate retaining the recent elements on high of the cottage cheese layer, and even higher, in a separate container.

By avoiding mixing the recent elements into the cottage cheese layer, you’ll preserve the attractive look of this salad and keep away from the dairy separating from the moisture of the veggies.

Retailer in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 48 hours.

A bowl with chickpeas, cucumbers and yoghurt.A bowl with chickpeas, cucumbers and yoghurt.

Pictures: pictures taken on this submit are by Ashley McGlaughlin from The Edible Perspective.

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