Fresh and flavorful Mediterranean Artichoke and Tomato Salad with a simple lemon garlic dressing. This easy dish is tossed with juicy bursts of tomatoes, creamy avocado, zippy red onion, artichoke hearts, chickpeas, and fresh parsley. A refreshing lunch or side dish to serve all season long.
This Mediterranean Artichoke and Tomato Salad is the perfect end-of-summer salad that is light, tastes incredible, and gives us a reason to enjoy the last of the fresh summer produce. It’s healthy, works as a vegan or vegetarian main dish, or as a delicious side, that’s great paired with grilled meat, burgers, seafood, and more. And not only does it taste great but the texture is amazing! It’s crisp, sweet, savory, juicy, herby, and truly just SO good. We love it paired with grilled chicken, baked salmon, or spinach feta turkey burgers!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Hearty & healthy: This tomato salad is filled with good-for-you ingredients, from the tomatoes to the avocado and chickpeas. In addition, thanks to the healthy fats from the avocado and olive oil and the plant-based protein in the chickpeas, it’s very satisfying.
- Fresh & flavorful: The combination of in-season fruits, vegetables, fresh herbs, nutty chickpeas, and a bright vinaigrette creates a sensational flavor profile you’re sure to love.
- Quick & easy to make: With this salad recipe, there’s very little chopping needed and the homemade dressing is simple to whip up. You can have this thrown together in just about 15 minutes!
Ingredients needed
For this gorgeous, Mediterranean tomato salad we’re using seasonal ingredients that are so flavorful this time of year! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Cherry tomatoes: Tomatoes are especially delicious in the summertime! Feel free to use grape or chopped Roma tomatoes, if preferred.
- Avocado: One large haas avocado adds a delicious creaminess that is a wonderful contrast with the juicy tomatoes. If you don’t have a large avocado, use two smaller avocados.
- Red onion: Red onions are classic Greek-flavored salads. They also add a nice pop of color and have a more mild, sweet flavor than other onion varieties.
- Artichoke hearts: We love using pre-marinated artichoke hearts for extra flavor, but feel free to use plain, if that’s what you have available.
- Chickpeas: Also known as garbanzo beans, these can be used straight out of the can, no cooking required.
- Fresh parsley: Parsley tastes fabulous in this dish, however, you can use other herbs, like fresh dill or fresh basil leaves.
- For the dressing: The homemade vinaigrette is a simple mix of olive oil, dijon mustard, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, sumac, and salt & pepper.
How to make this recipe
- Assemble the salad: In a salad bowl add the tomatoes, avocado, onion, artichokes, chickpeas, and parsley.
- Make the dressing: To a small jug add all the dressing ingredients and shake to emulsify. Pour over the dressing and toss to combine.
- Chill and serve: Refrigerate for 1 hour, then give it a toss and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Sumac is a spice used often in Middle Eastern recipes. It has a tangy, smoky, earthy, and slightly sour flavor that is difficult to substitute. It is found in the spice aisle of most grocery stores or you can order it on Amazon. You can omit it if you’d like.
- If onions are a bit strong for your taste, take a bite out of them by soaking them in a small bowl with cold water while you prep the other ingredients.
- When choosing the avocado, it’s best to use a firm, yet ripe avocado. This way they won’t get too mushy.
- This salad is a great make-ahead recipe because it needs an hour to chill in the fridge.
Frequently asked questions
There are a variety of different ways to make a salad with tomatoes. This particular recipe includes cherry tomatoes, red onion, avocado, artichokes, chickpeas, and a simple vinaigrette with olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic.
As long as you use a perfectly ripe tomato, any type will work in salad recipes. We love cherry or grape tomatoes because they are sweet, tangy, and have a slight crunch.
Yes, according to Healthline tomatoes are the major dietary source of the antioxidant lycopene, which has been linked to many health benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease and cancer. They are also a great source of vitamin C, potassium, folate, and vitamin K.
Variations
You can add or swap in so many different ingredients to this dish to make it your own and customize the flavors. Here are some options:
- Add more protein with grilled chicken, salmon, or shrimp.
- Mix in your favorite grain like quinoa, cauliflower rice, or couscous.
- Top with cheese. Crumbled feta cheese or mini mozzarella balls would be great.
Storage recommendations
This easy Artichoke tomato salad will keep fresh for about 3-4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
More healthy salad recipes
- Jennifer Aniston Salad
- Italian Kale Salad Jar
- Santa Fe Grilled Chicken Salad
- Healthy Chicken Taco Salad
- Chickpea and Feta Salad
- Chicken Arugula Salad
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Mediterranean Artichoke and Tomato Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 hass avocado cubed
- 1 red onion sliced
- 15 oz marinated artichoke hearts one can or jar, quartered
- 15 oz chickpeas one can
- 1/4 cup minced parsley
Dressing:
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 garlic minced
- 1 tsp sumac
Instructions
- In a salad bowl add the tomatoes, avocado, onion, artichokes, chickpeas, and parsley.
- To a small jug add all the dressing ingredients and shake to emulsify. Pour over the dressing and toss to combine.
- Refrigerate for 1 hour, then give it a toss and serve!
Barbara says
Can you substitute white kidney beans for the garbanzo beans?
Rena Awada says
Hi there. Yes you can if you don’t like Garbanzo beans