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Chickpea and cottage cheese salad with cucumber, cherry tomatoes, feta and parsley in a ceramic bowl
Emily Carter

High Protein Chickpea and Cottage Cheese Salad

5 from 1 vote
A no-cook chickpea and cottage cheese salad with 30g of protein and 11g of fiber per serving. Cottage cheese folded in at the end acts as the dressing.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Servings: 3
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Calories: 523
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Salad
  • 400 g 1¾ cups 4% cottage cheese
  • 400 g 2½ cups canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 80 g ½ cup feta, crumbled
  • 300 g 2¼ cups cucumber, diced
  • 300 g 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 60 g ½ cup red onion, thinly sliced
  • 15 g ¼ cup parsley, chopped
Dressing
  • 30 g 2½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 60 g ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 g ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 g scant ¼ teaspoon salt, added only if needed after tasting

Method
 

  1. Drain and rinse the chickpeas under running water, dry them, and season them on their own with black pepper and a squeeze of the lemon juice.
  2. Dice the cucumber, halve the tomatoes and slice the red onion thinly, cutting everything to roughly chickpea size.
  3. Shake the olive oil, remaining lemon juice and black pepper together in a jar until combined.
  4. Toss the chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, feta and parsley with the dressing.
  5. Fold in the cottage cheese last, turning the bowl three or four times only. It should look under-mixed.
  6. Taste before adding any salt, then rest the salad 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

  • Use 4% cottage cheese. Low fat releases water as soon as it meets acid and thins the whole bowl out.
  • Rinsing the chickpeas rather than only draining them removes about 131 mg of sodium per serving.
  • Keeps 2 days. To make it ahead, hold back the cucumber, parsley and cottage cheese.