Beetroot chickpea salad with zaatar. Winter is that time of year when seasonal meals get a little easier. A time when you miss seasonal vegetables, fruits and salads, but we do our best to continue dining seasonally with the seasons. Let’s not think of winter as a “time of scarcity” because even if you live in Germany, winter has its tasty seasonal produce too. 😎
This aromatic layer of Middle Eastern spices brings flavor and depth to the earthy roasted beetroot. Beetroot Chickpea Salad with a light lemon dressing makes a satisfying vegan dinner or side dish to mix and match.
combinations
This Beetroot Chickpea Salad with Zaatar is also a perfect addition to a Middle Eastern menu or buffet. It can be served on its own or with some thick harissa yogurt or labne, the Lebanese cream cheese made from yogurt.
Bake the beets in the oven and for some extra flavor you can roast the beetroot cubes again in the hot pan. Serve the remaining zaatar on Mnakeesh bread and olive oil for dipping. Start this recipe a day ahead if working with dried chickpeas to soak them long enough overnight.
What is Zaatar?
The Lebanese zaatar spice plays a central role in this bread recipe. Because it gives the flatbread its full, spicy taste.
Zaatar is a Middle Eastern spice blend made primarily from thyme, sumac, and sesame. Of course, every family or region has its own recipe, so in other parts of the Middle East you can also find cumin, oregano and marjoram in the zaatar spice mixes. You can make zaatar yourself , but you can also easily find it in Arabic supermarkets or health food stores.
If you like our Beetroot Chickpea Salad with Zaatar, you may also be enthusiastic about these recipes:
- Spicy beetroot and carrot curry
- Beetroot Herb Tabbouleh
- Manakeesh Lebanese flatbread baked with zaatar
- vegan chickpea zucchini curry
- Russian potato and beet salad “Venigret”
- Ayurvedic vegan chickpea cabbage curry
- more salad recipes…
Beetroot chickpea salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 Beetroot fresh
- 170 G Chickpeas can
- 1 Apple
- juice of a lemon
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
- 80 ml native olive oil*
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 small bunch of mint
- 1-2 spring onions
- kosher salt*
- Pepper* from the mill
- 3 tsp zaatar* Make zaatar yourself click here
simple zaatar spice:
- 3 tsp thyme leaves fresh
- 3 tsp Oregano* dried
- 2 tsp white sesame* roasted
- 1 tsp ground sumac*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220°C.
- Wash beetroot and place unpeeled in a casserole dish with about 1 cm of water. Cover with aluminum foil and cook in the oven for about an hour.
- In the meantime, feel free to make your own zaatar. Crush the herbs in a mortar until they are roughly chopped. Add toasted sesame and sumac and continue to chop.
- Set beets aside to cool. Later peel off the peel and cut into cubes (1×1 cm).
- Pour the chickpeas through a sieve, rinse and drain well.
- Peel and finely chop the garlic.
- Mix 3 tsp zaatar with lemon juice, white wine vinegar, olive oil and garlic in a bowl.
- Quarter, core and dice or roughly grate the apples. Mix the apple, beetroot and chickpeas in a bowl with the zaatar dressing.
- Finely chop some of the mint leaves, leaving some for garnish. Cut the leek onions into fine rings. Mix both into the salad.
- Divide salad among plates or bowls and serve with extra mint leaves and a sprinkling of extra zaatar.
