Name: Loaded Kale Caesar Salad with Crispy Chickpeas
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 3-4 large carrots; 15.5 oz. can chickpeas; 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon olive oil (divided); 3/4 cup raw walnuts; 1 bunch dinosaur kale (about 6 leaves); 1 avocado; 1/2 lemon (juiced); 3/4 cup shaved Parmesan cheese; 1/2 teaspoon paprika; 1/2 teaspoon onion powder; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; Salt; Pepper; Caesar dressing of choice

I love a good Caesar salad. It’s a go to order for me at most restaurants.

But, I always need something else with it. Because on its own, a Caesar salads really isn’t that filling. I mean, it’s basically just lettuce.

That’s what inspired me to make this loaded Caesar salad. I wanted a salad that had all the deliciousness of your usual Caesar salad, but also one that was much more filling.

And because the flavors in Caesar salads are so versatile, there are a lot of toppings that easily blended so well with it.

To start, the crispy chickpeas are beyond delicious. They add a great crunch and also some filling protein and fiber.

Next, roasted carrots totally take this salad to a new level. If you’ve never roasted carrots before, you must. Roasting them brings out their sweetness, giving them an incredible caramelized flavor.

Then, toasted walnuts add a warm, nutty flavor with more crunch – always a good thing. You can totally use croutons too, but I find that the fat from walnuts helps to make the salad even more filling.

FYI, if you’re not already, make sure to store walnuts in the fridge or freezer. Because they’re so high in fat, they can go rancid otherwise (read more about walnuts and how to store them here).

Lastly, creamy avocado ties this all together. Because what’s a salad without avocado?

I love salads, but they can get sad – quickly. They really need to be loaded in order to be delicious and truly satisfying.

And that’s exactly what this salad is.

Prep ingredients

Prepare the ingredients and preheat the oven to 425 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Prep the carrots and chickpeas

Peel and chop the carrots into thick diagonal slices. Rinse and drain chickpeas. Pat them dry well (you can try to remove some of the outer layer of skin as you dry them with a paper towel or kitchen towel).

Roast

Add the carrots and chickpeas to one of the baking sheets and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil plus the paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, tossing gently halfway through.

Toast the walnuts

Roughly chop the walnuts. Add them to the other baking sheet and toss with the remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil plus salt and pepper.

When the carrots and chickpeas have about 10 minutes left, add the walnuts to the oven, watching closely so that they don’t burn after about 5 minutes.

Remove everything from the oven and set aside to let cool.

Chop the kale

De-stem and chop the kale. Add to a large bowl with salt. Using your hands, gently massage kale for about a minute to soften it.

Dice the avocado and add a squeeze of lemon. Set aside.

Assemble the salad

Assemble the salads (this recipe makes about 3-4 salads). In each bowl, add the kale, roasted carrots and chickpeas, toasted walnuts, avocado, and parmesan cheese.

Toss with dressing

Toss with Caesar dressing.

Serve

Enjoy!

Notes

Carrots: Peel and cut carrots into thick wedges. Tossing them gently halfway through roasting will ensure all sides get a nice golden sear.
Chickpeas: When drying the chickpeas with a paper towel or kitchen towel, you can gently remove some of the outer skin as well and discard it. Make sure the chickpeas are really dry before roasting.
Walnuts: Walnuts will burn quickly! Keep an eye on them to ensure they’re toasted, but not burnt.
Kale: I love dino kale in this recipe because of how firm it is. This also means that the salad will store well without getting soggy. Alternatively, curly kale can also be used.
Avocado: Squeezing lemon juice on the avocado will help to prevent browning. But if you’re making this salad in advance, you can wait to add the avocado until right before eating.
Parmesan cheese: A must in a Caesar-style salad! Shaved parmesan is so delicious.
Caesar dressing: For ease, I like to use a store-bought Caesar dressing. If you want to make your own, this recipe has a great homemade version.
Storage: Once dressed and tossed, you can store this salad in an airtight container in the fridge. I do think it’s best to wait to add the avocado though before storing. But because dino kale is so sturdy, it will hold up well even while stored with dressing.

Course: Lunch, Salad