Mediterranean Spinach Salad

This Mediterranean Spinach Salad has chickpeas, tomatoes, radishes, and a lemony dressing with the flavors that make me swoon over Fattoush! And I love the touch of Sumac Seasoning in this salad but it’s definitely optional if you don’t have Sumac and don’t want to buy it.

PIN Mediterranean Spinach Salad to try it later!

I’m still intrigued with Yotam Ottolenghi’s new cookbooks, Jerusalem, and that book is what inspired this Mediterranean Spinach Salad. Every spring I get a serious craving for salads with tomatoes, and although this salad would be even better with ripe summer tomatoes, it was still pretty darn spectacular with the tomatoes I found at Costco.

This salad is a mixture of ingredients that are used all over the mediterranean, with some ingredients that are definitely middle eastern as well. And if you’re still not acquainted with the middle eastern spice called  Sumac, this salad is a great opportunity to add it to your spice collection! But definitely the salad will be tasty without Sumac as well.

What ingredients do you need for this salad:

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
•  baby spinach
•  cherry tomatoes
•  radishes
•  green onion
•  crumbled Feta 
•  fresh ground black pepper to taste
• Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
•  salt
•  fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• Sumac (affiliate link)
•  extra-virgin Olive Oil (affiliate link)

What is Sumac?

If you’re one of those Sumac-deprived people who haven’t tried it, the middle eastern spice called Sumac tastes a lot like lemon, but more fruity and not quite so sour.  I love it sprinkled on hummus, soup, vegetables, and even on eggs, and of course it’s classic in the dressing for Fattoush, which is the salad that turned me into a confirmed Sumac lover. That same lemon-Sumac vinaigrette is a winner on this spinach salad, and I’d eat this salad any time of year for a meatless lunch or dinner.

Some Variations for Mediterranean Spinach Salad:

• User fewer chickpeas and stir a few tablespoons of hummus into the dressing.
• Add capers, Greek Olives, or artichokes.
• Use crumbled goat cheese instead of Feta

How to Make Mediterranean Spinach Salad:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Drain canned garbanzos and rinse with cold water until no more foam appears.
2. While the beans are draining, whisk together the dressing ingredients.
3. Put drained garbanzos into a bowl and mix with about 2 T of the dressing.  Let the beans marinate while you prep the other ingredients.
4. Slice tomatoes, radishes, and green onions.
5. If the spinach has been in the fridge, I like to crisp it in very cold water in the salad spinner (affiliate link), and then spin until it’s really dry.
6. Put the spinach in a bowl that’s large enough to toss the ingredients and add the marinated garbanzos with dressing.
7. Then add the tomatoes, radishes, and green onions and toss, adding more dressing as desired until the salad is at wet as you like it. (You will probably use most of the dressing, but maybe not all of it.)
8. Then crumble in most of the Feta and toss again. (Save a little Feta to crumble over each salad as you serve it.) 
9. Serve right away and enjoy!

More Ideas with Sumac:

• Fattoush Lebanese Salad
• Whipped Feta Dip with Sumac
• Salmon Roasted in Olive Oil

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Yield: 4 salads

Mediterranean Spinach Salad

Prep Time 20 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

This Mediterranean Spinach Salad has the same flavors that make me swoon over Fattoush!

Ingredients

• one 15.5 oz. can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• 5 oz. baby spinach, refreshed in cold water and spun dry if needed
• 1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup thinly sliced radishes
• 1/4 cup sliced green onion
• about 1/2 cup crumbled Feta (more or less to taste)
• fresh ground black pepper to taste
• extra Sumac for finished salad, optional

Dressing Ingredients:

• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic (or more, to taste)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tsp. Sumac
• 3 T extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Dump the garbanzo beans into a colander placed in the sink and rinse with cold water until no more foam appears.
2. Let beans drain while you make the dressing.  (You can blot dry with paper towels if you’re in a hurry.)
3. Mash the garlic and salt together, then whisk in lemon juice, Sumac (affiliate link), and finally olive oil.
4. Put the garbanzo beans into a shallow bowl and toss with 2 T of the dressing mixture. Let beans marinate while you prep other ingredients.
5. Slice the tomatoes, radishes, and green onions.
6. If you have a package of spinach that’s been in the fridge a few days, I like to crisp it in very cold water in the salad spinner (affiliate link), then spin dry.
7. Put the spinach in a bowl big enough to toss the ingredients.
8. Add the marinated garbanzos and dressing, tomatoes, radishes, and green onions and toss with enough dressing to moisten the salad to your liking.
9. Toss with most of the Feta, season with fresh ground black pepper, and serve, garnishing with a little bit of crumbled Feta on each salad and more Sumac (affiliate link) sprinkled on if desired.

Notes

The recipe was created by Kalyn with inspiration from Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 335Total Fat 18gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 17mgSodium 842mgCarbohydrates 34gFiber 10gSugar 8gProtein 13g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Suggestions:
This Mediterranean Spinach Salad is loaded with low-glycemic ingredients, and this would make a wonderful main dish or side dish salad for any phase of the original South Beach Diet. You could eat this for a traditional low-carb diet plan if you omit the garbanzo beans.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salad Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You can also Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was posted in 2013. It was last updated with more information in 2021.

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