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Looking for a cozy protein-packed salad that’s perfect for winter? Introducing this roasted red pepper salad with crispy chickpeas, quinoa, and a spicy lemon vinaigrette.
Lately, I feel like the obsession with “getting enough protein” has hit an all-time high. And while I do agree that protein is super important, I feel like it leaves other macronutrients overlooked and neglected. For instance, why is no one worried about getting enough fiber? It should be right up there with protein. Which is why I love this salad so much!
This chickpea and roasted red pepper salad has over 25g of plant protein and 20g of fiber per serve. Plus, it’s packed with micronutrients as well. It has everything you could need, which imo, makes this the best roasted red pepper salad ever!
P.S. This is a riff off of my classic roasted chickpea salad, but instead of using fresh veggies, I added in some roasted veggies for extra cozy vibes! So if you liked that salad, you’ll love this version!
Ingredients For This Roasted Red Pepper Salad
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this easy roasted red pepper salad.
- Quinoa: I shared further down the blog post exactly how I make my quinoa super fluffy and tender. Just click here.
- Mini red peppers: You can use regular bell peppers, but I highly recommend the mini red peppers as they pack a lot more flavor!
- Red onion
- Chickpeas
- Fresh dill
- Fresh parsley
- Olive oil
- Lemons
- Honey
- Kosher salt
- Spices: Including onion, garlic, cayenne and cumin.
- Feta cheese: Obviously, this isn’t vegan, but if you like you can add in a handful of crumbled feta for extra flavor!!
Method Behind This Salad
As with most of my salads, the method behind this salad is designed to save you time so you can prep ingredients in parallel.
While the quinoa cooks and the veggies roast, you can prepare the roasted red pepper salad dressing and mince the herbs. All in all, this salad takes about 45 minutes from start to finish, and most of that time is hands-off cooking time for the quinoa and veggies.
Quick Quinoa 101
My method for fluffy is a 1:2 ratio of quinoa to water. So for 3/4 cup of quinoa, use 1 1/2 cups water, along with a large pinch of salt.
Now, I’m sure you’ve heard that you HAVE to rinse your quinoa otherwise it’ll be bitter. The reason is that rinsing the quinoa helps remove quinoa’s natural coating (saponin), which can make it taste bitter. However, most quinoa you buy at the store is already pre-rinsed before its package, but you can rinse your quinoa just to be sure. I feel like it’s unnecessary, but you do you!
But back to my quinoa method.
Add the quinoa, water, and salt into a large pot. Place the pot on the stove, bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, and partially cover the pot. Let the quinoa cook undisturbed for 10-12 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. This next step is key, turn the heat off, fully cover the pot with the lid, and let the quinoa sit for 10 minutes. The “sitting” helps the quinoa steam and cook off any excess water.
A Few Notes
- If you want to meal-prep any salad of mine, this is probably the most meal-prep friendly. Store the veggies and quinoa together in a glass tupperware, and the dressing in a glass jar in the fridge. I prefer to store the crispy chickpeas like granola; in a glass container with room to breathe in the pantry. They stay pretty crispy like this. If your chickpeas get a little soft, just reheat them on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 450°F for 8-10 minutes, they’ll crisp right up! This salad tastes best warm, so whenever you’re ready to eat this, just heat everything (except the herbs) at 450°F on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 8-10 minutes.
- Speaking of prepping this salad, it stores well for up to 4 days in a glass tupperware in the fridge. Just reheat it at 400°F on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 10 minutes.
Even More Cozy Salads
- Baked Kale Salad w/ Crispy Quinoa
- Roasted Fall Harvest Salad
Roasted Red Pepper Salad
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star5 from 12 reviews
- Author: Yasmeen Ali
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: American
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Ingredients
Scale
Roasted Red Pepper Salad
- 3/4 cup dry quinoa
- 8 mini red peppers, quartered, stems and seeds removed
- 1 small red onion, cut into wedges
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- 1/4 cup roughly minced dill
- 1/4 cup roughly minced parsley
- Feta cheese, if not vegan
Spicy Lemon Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1–2 tbsp honey
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic granules or 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 tsp cumin
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Or, line two medium trays with parchment paper.
- Make the quinoa. My method for fluffy is a 1:2 ratio of quinoa to water. So for 3/4 cup of quinoa, use 1 1/2 cups water, along with a large pinch of salt. Place the pot on the stove, bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, and partially cover the pot. Let the quinoa cook undisturbed for 10-12 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. This next step is key, turn the heat off, fully cover the pot with the lid, and let the quinoa sit for 10 minutes. The “sitting” helps the quinoa steam and cook off any excess water.
- Roast the veggies and chickpeas. While the quinoa cooks, add the peppers, onion, and chickpeas to the prepared sheet pan(s). Drizzle generously with olive and salt and toss to combine. I like to keep the pepper, onion, and chickpeas separate on the same tray; just in case I need to remove the peppers before the chickpeas are done cooking (does that make sense?). Roast the veggies and chickpeas for 25-30 minutes or until the peppers and onion are slightly charred, and the chickpeas are golden brown and crispy.
- Prepare the dressing and herbs. While the quinoa and veggies roast, prep the dressing. Add all of the ingredients into a large jar and whisk well. Taste and adjust salt and honey as needed. I like the dressing with just 1 tbsp of honey but feel free to add 2 tbsp if you prefer the dressing on the sweeter side.
- Assemble the salad. At this point, both the quinoa and veggies should be done, and all that’s left to do is combine everything. Add the quinoa into a large serving bowl, followed by the roasted veggies, chickpeas, dill, and parsley. Pour over half the dressing and toss to combine. Taste and add more dressing and salt as needed. Serve immediately while the salad is still warm!
