Kale Tahini Caesar Salad with Chickpea Croutons

This kale tahini caesar salad is a delicious way to change up your veggie game! It has a creamy tahini dressing that’s massaged into a bed of kale, then topped with crispy spiced chickpeas and pickled red onions.

This salad is packed with the most delicious flavor, and really takes your dinner game up a notch.

We love having salads as part of our dinner at least twice a week. Most times, its a basic green salad. Other times, I like to spice things up.

This kale tahini caesar salad has been a favorite of mine for so long! It’s really simple to make, and can be eaten as is, or as a side dish.

The crispy spiced chickpeas really make this salad. They’re honestly addicting on their own. You toss the chickpeas in a simple seasoning with olive oil, then bake them until they get that perfect crunch.

They would be delicious as a snack, or as a topping to any other salad!

How to make Kale Tahini Salad

Prep your pickled onions: the first step to making this salad is to make the pickled red onions. Ideally, you should make them a few days in advance to soak up the flavors. But, letting them sit for at least an hour in the vinegar mixture should do the trick if you’re in a pinch for time!

Bake the chickpeas: drain your canned chickpeas, and toss them in the spices and olive oil. Bake them for about 25 minutes, and then let them sit in the closed oven for an additional 5 minutes to get extra crispy

Make your dressing: the dressing ingredients are whisked together until smooth, and then massaged into the kale while the chickpeas cook. This helps breakdown the fiber in the kale, making it softer and more enjoyable to eat and digest!

Assemble your salad: once all of the ingredients are prepped, toss it all together and serve!

Other ways to use your pickled onions

I love prepping the pickled red onions at the beginning of the week so that I can enjoy them with other meals. Here are a few other ways to use those pickled red onions:

• in your tacos– whether you’re enjoying breakfast tacos, black bean tacos, or fish tacos, these pickled red onions add the best flavor!
• in your sandwiches: top your favorite sandwich with the onions for a little bit of zest
• avocado toast: take your avocado toast up a notch by adding some pickled onions on top
• over a salad: these onions would taste delicious over any salad!

This salad is so delicious, and packed with flavor! I can’t wait for you guys to try it. Be sure to leave a rating and review if you do! 🙂

What to serve with your kale tahini salad

Vegan Stuffed Shells

Maple Dijon Mustard

Vegan Pesto Pasta

Kale Tahini Caesar Salad with Chickpea Croutons

4 from 3 votes

Course: Salads

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

50

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

20

minutes

NOTES:
The pickled red onions should ideally be made at least 1 hour prior- but the longer they sit, the better. You can prep them up to two weeks in advance, and use them over tacos, salads, or sandwiches!

Ingredients

• 4-5 cups of kales, stems removed

• Tahini Caesar Dressing

• 1/4 cup tahini (sesame paste)

• Juice from 1/2 lemon, about 2 tbsp

• 4-5 tbsp cold water, to thin

• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast

• 1 tsp dijon mustard

• 1 clove of garlic, crushed

• 1/4 tsp salt

• Spiced Chickpeas

• 1 can of chickpeas (15 oz), drained

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1/2 tsp salt

• Pickled Red Onions

• 1 red onion, thinly sliced

• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

• 1/4 cup hot water

• 1 tbsp sugar

• 1 tsp salt

Directions

• Prep your onions: mix your apple cider vinegar, water, salt and sugar together. Put your onions in a mason jar or glass container, and pour the vinegar mixture over it. Give it a shake and let it marinate for at least 40 minutes before using. The longer it sits the better!
• Make your chickpeas: Preheat the oven to 400 F. Toss your chickpeas in the spices and olive oil, and layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes, giving the pan a shake in between. Turn the oven off, and let the chickpeas sit in the closed oven for an additional 5 minutes.
• Prep your dressing: while the chickpeas bake, prep your tahini dressing by whisking together all of the ingredients in a bowl. Start with 4 tbsp of water, and add more as needed to thin out the dressing. Adjust salt as needed.
• Mix in your kale: Pour the dressing over the kale, and massage it in to soften it. I like to mix my dressing into the kale while the chickpeas bake to let it soak up the flavors.
• Prep your salad: Once your chickpeas are cooked, toss them over the salad with about 1/3-1/2 of the pickled onions.
• The leftover onions should stay fresh in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Leftover dressing can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Did you make this recipe?

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