Pesto Chickpea Tomato Salad is a four ingredient easy summer side dish recipe that is bursting with flavor! This serves about 4 people as a side dish, or two as a small salad.
In the summertime, my main game plan for dinners is something on the grill + a side salad + fruit. I love how easy dinners in the summer can be! They’re even easier with side dishes like this Pesto Chickpea Tomato Salad. It has FOUR ingredients and can be made in 10 minutes.
This chickpea salad doesn’t have to be a just a side dish, either. It is also great as a main dish salad. Serve it on top of some mixed greens and you have a delicious vegetarian lunch!
Chickpeas – otherwise known as garbanzo beans. I use canned chickpeas which I simply drain and rinse before adding them to the salad.
Cherry Tomatoes – I especially love making this salad with fresh tomatoes from our garden or the farmers market! You can really use any kind of tomato in this recipe – roma, grape, and cherubs would all work great.
Mozzarella Pearls – these are so cute! They are mini fresh mozzarella cheese balls and are perfect in this salad. I cut each one in half. You could also use a large log of fresh mozzarella cheese and just cut it into small bite sized pieces.
Pesto – the shining star of this dish! The pesto is what gives this salad flavor, so be sure to use a good one! I like making a bunch of pesto during the summer and freeze it in ice cube trays, and that’s what I used for this recipe. So, so tasty!
This recipe couldn’t be easier to make. Simply add all of the ingredients to a medium bowl and mix to combine. Serve and ENJOY! I can’t wait to make this salad over and over again all summer long. It will go great with my Grilled Chicken with Cilantro Butter or Turkey Burgers with Blueberry Compote.