star

If you've been around these parts for a while, you know we love our Big Ass Salads. If you're new, welcome, and let us introduce you to the Big Ass Salad, Primal Kitchen Founder Mark Sisson's favorite lunch. The Big Ass Salad doesn't just refer to colossal size; it's more so a reference to eating a big bowl of vegetables with some protein, fats, and a tantalizing dressing to coat the leaves. Can you make a Big Ass Salad vegan, but also with some protein? Of course! We made a chickpea salad with roasted broccoli and cauliflower, and pea shoots—these tiny tree-like florets and leafy vines add a bit of protein to the mix as well. Dress the tender greens, snappy cucumbers, creamy avocado, acidic tomatoes, grassy pea shoots, and nutty chickpeas with a bright, sweet-and-savory dijon vinaigrette that's vegan, Primal/paleo, and just three ingredients.

Want to learn how to make tasty, restaurant-style salads at home?

Get 7 days of FREE salad recipes, instructional videos, tips and tricks, downloadable bonuses, and more! Sign Up for the 7 Days, 7 Salads Challenge.

Vegan Chickpea Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette

Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 3

Ingredients

  • 1 cup broccoli florets
  • 1 cup cauliflower florets
  • 1 tablespoon Primal Kitchen Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 
  • 3-4 gardener's delight tomatoes, or 8-10 cherry tomatoes, sliced
  • 4 cups mixed baby greens
  • 1/2 cup pea shoots
  • 1 cucumber
  • 1 avocado
  • 1 can chickpeas
  • Vegan 3-Ingredient Dijon Vinaigrette*

*See recipe for Dijon Vinaigrette, below

Vegan 3-Ingredient Dijon Vinaigrette

Instructions

Make the vinaigrette:

  • Place dijon mustard, maple syrup, and lemon juice in a bowl, and whisk until combined. Alternatively, put the ingredients in a small mason jar, screw on the lid tightly, and shake well to combine.

Make the roasted broccoli and cauliflower; then wilt the tomatoes:

  • Preheat the oven to 425ºF. 
  • Place the broccoli and cauliflower florets on a baking sheet. Toss the florets with olive oil, salt, and pepper. 
  • Roast the florets in the oven for 15–18 minutes, or until soft and lightly browned. When the florets have been cooking about 6 minutes, remove the sheet pan, and scatter the sliced tomatoes on the sheet pan. Place the sheet pan back in the oven and continue cooking another 9–12 minutes.
  • Remove florets from oven and let cool while you assemble the salad.

Assemble the salad:

  • Place greens and pea shoots in a large serving bowl. 
  • Slice the cucumber. Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit, and scoop out the flesh. Carefully slice the avocado into half moon slices.
  • Open, drain, and rinse chickpeas in a colander. 
  • Top the greens and shoots with wilted tomatoes, broccoli and cauliflower florets, cucumbers, avocado slices, and chickpeas. Spoon the dijon vinaigrette on top, toss, and serve.

Vegan Chickpea Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette

Nutrition info (per serving):

Calories: 414

Carbs: 55 grams

Net Carbs: 38 grams

Fat: 16 grams

Protein: 15 grams

You might also like these other vegan recipes:

  • Vegan Watermelon Strawberry Salad with Mint and Balsamic 
  • Keto Vegan Rainbow Salad
  • Grilled Broccoli
  • Whole30 Buffalo Sauce Cauliflower Wings
  • Hummus with Avocado Oil
  • Grilled Portobello Mushrooms
  • Savory Vegan Veggie Medley
    • IF YOU LIKED THIS...
    You'll Also Love These Recipes

    Adding this recipe to your rotation? Don't stop there. Keep the deliciousness coming with these other crave-worthy dishes cooked up in the Primal Kitchen.

    A white baking dish filled with Easy Buffalo Chicken Dip made with Primal Kitchen Original Buffalo Sauce. Chips, pretzels, and celery and carrot sticks in the background. Easy Buffalo Chicken Dip
    5 MIN PREP TIME • 25 MIN TOTAL TIME • 10 SERVINGS
    With just four core ingredients, this tailgate-ready buffalo chicken dip is super simple to make! Our plant-based Original Buffalo Sauce is the MVP and creamy mayo backs up this snack play, making it a hearty game-day appetizer your watch party team will go wild over.  
    A white bowl filled with an autumn salad of bacon, cranberries, pecans and more, with a bottle of Primal Kitchen Poppyseed Dressing in the background. Autumn Salad with Poppyseed Dressing
    20 MIN PREP TIME • 50 MIN TOTAL TIME • 6 SERVINGS
    As customizable as it is cozy, this delicious salad combines the season’s best harvest—think crisp apples, buttery pecans, and creamy sweet potatoes—with a savory poppy seed dressing made from real ingredients you’ll love. It’s like a crisp fall day in a bowl!  For a more substantial meal with an extra rich flavor, add goat cheese or feta and top with grilled chicken.
    A sheet pan of chicken and vegetables for fajitas Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
    15 MIN PREP • 6 SERVINGS • 60 MIN TOTAL TIME
    This no-mess, no-fuss chicken dinner is as easy as it gets. You simply preheat the oven, chop some vegetables, season the chicken, then pop it in the oven. It’s the perfect weeknight recipe to make when you don’t want to wash a bunch of dishes or spend a lot of time thinking about what to cook.
    BROWSE MORE RECIPES