Make packed lunches and meal prep super easy with this Chickpea Salad in Jar with Homemade Honey Mustard Dressing!
Required FTC Disclosure: The beans used in this recipe were provided by Randall Beans and the original recipe creation was paid content for Randall Beans. This posting of the recipe on Babaganosh is not sponsored by Randall Beans - I am sharing it because I am a big fan of their products and of this recipe.
I must admit I skeptically eyed the whole "Mason Jar Salad" trend for a while. I am not sure why to be exact - maybe I just didn't realize how handy it is to have salad in a jar?
I bring my lunch in to work almost every day, and it is often salad anyway. For months I watched my friend bring in salads in a jar to work and yet continued to bring in my 2 separate containers every day - one with the salad, and one with the dressing. Of course, the little dressing container often spilled in my lunch bag and made a mess, and yet it still took me months to finally try this Salad in a Jar thing. What can I say, sometimes I am not the quickest to catch on. 🙂
Related recipe: Chicken Salad with Chickpeas
But I am a convert now! I love being able to prep a few lunches on a Sunday night, and to only bring in 1 container to work. I also love the versatility of salad in a jar - any salad vegetables and salad mix-ins work great! I've been hooked on this chickpea salad that I created for Randall Beans because chickpeas are filling, healthy, full of fiber, and super delicious. I've been known to throw in some chicken breast or quinoa for a bit of extra protein, but most days the veggies + chickpeas are enough for an awesome lunch.
Related recipe: Chickpea Feta Salad
I've also been addicted to this homemade Honey Mustard Dressing - it tastes so good and is so simple to make - just 4 ingredients and no need to remember the ratios because you just mix together equal amounts of everything and stir. I usually make enough dressing to last me for a few days and store it in the fridge when I don't use it for jarred salads.
For this recipe I used the 24 oz Randall Bean jars to make the salads, but any ~24 oz mason jar or regular jar will work. I keep a plate and forks at work anyway to minimize plastic/paper waste, so it is super easy to dump the salad onto a plate during lunch.
Related recipe: Chickpea Pea Shoot Salad
Anyway, if you ever need a portable lunch and a great way to make your salad look super appetizing (just look at all the colorful layers in the jar!), you should definitely try the Salad in a Jar thing if you haven't yet... and I suggest you start with the recipe below. 😉 And definitely don't skip the homemade honey mustard dressing!
Related recipe: Grilled Asparagus Salad with White Beans
Salad in a Jar with Homemade Honey Mustard Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice - (1 lemon)
- ½ small red onion - , thinly sliced
- 1 small cucumber
- ½ bell pepper
- 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes
- 1 14-oz can chickpeas - (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
- 2 handfuls salad greens - , such as baby kale or spinach
Instructions
- Combine all the salad dressing ingredients in a small bowl or jar and mix well. This makes about 4 servings of salad dressing.
- To assemble the salad in a jar, use two empty 24 oz jars. Add 2 tablespoons dressing to the bottom of each jar. In each jar, layer half the salad ingredients on top of the dressing: Start with the red onion and finish by stuffing the salad greens at the top. Refrigerate until ready to eat.
- To serve the salad, shake the jar and dump the salad onto a large plate, using a fork to help loosen the greens. The salad should be perfectly covered in dressing, but give it a stir with a fork if it is not.
Notes
- Feel free to substitute chicken for chickpeas or add some quinoa or brown rice! Just remember to put the solid vegetables on the bottom on top of the dressing and the leafy greens on top.
- This recipe makes enough dressing for 4 servings
Nutrition
The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.
Before you go, check out these other gorgeous salad recipes:
Cajun Shrimp Salad with Homemade Cilantro Lime Dressing:
Little Cooking Tips
Thursday 8th of June 2017
Salads in jars are not "a thing" yet here, but we've seen it a lot in blogs in the last year. Like you, we were skeptical, but reading your post and this specific recipe makes us rethink the whole deal. So yep, we're pinning this and we'll be giving it a try, that's for sure:) Sending you our love, Mirella and Panos
Elena Weinstein
Thursday 1st of June 2017
Sounds cool. But doesn't it get mushy if it's with the dressing?
Kate
Tuesday 6th of June 2017
Nope! The salad ingredients are put in order so that the vegetables that touch the dressing are the ones that don't get soggy - sliced onions, grape tomatoes, cucumber slices, or chickpeas should go at the bottom. The leafy greens go on top.