Chopped Salad With Chickpeas, Feta and Avocado

Serves 4 | Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: none

A really nice dinner salad with lot’s of good things for you. May I suggest adding some hard cooked eggs or smoked salmon to this?

Ingredients

2 cups small (½-inch) diced stale bread, buns or pita (about 3 to 4 ounces)
6 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 romaine heart, quartered lengthwise and sliced crosswise into ½-inch pieces
1(15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed
1 medium (or ½ large) English cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded and diced
½cup pitted Castelvetrano or other green olives, roughly chopped (about 3 ounces)
⅓cup thinly sliced scallions (about 2 scallions)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon drained capers, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon minced shallots
¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 firm-ripe avocado, halved, pitted and diced
¾ cup diced or crumbled feta cheese (about 4 ounces)
¼ cup chopped fresh herbs, such as dill, basil, mint or parsley, plus more for serving

Chef Tips

Look for crispy chickpeas in the snack aisle if you don’t have any leftover bread lying around.

Preparation

Step 1
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the diced bread on a sheet pan, drizzle lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss, then bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until well toasted. Set aside to cool.

Step 2
Meanwhile, place the romaine pieces in a large mixing bowl, along with the chickpeas, cucumber, olives and scallions.

Step 3
In a small bowl, whisk together 6 tablespoons olive oil with the vinegar, capers, shallots, mustard, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and whisk well. Pour enough dressing over the salad to moisten; toss well. Add the avocado, feta and herbs and toss gently, adding more dressing to taste. Top with the croutons and a generous sprinkle of herbs and serve.