It is always nice to serve a fresh salad when entertaining, especially when it is so easy to create! This salad starts with roasting chickpeas until crisp and making buttery garlic croutons all on one sheet pan! Since no one likes doing extra dishes, go ahead and assemble the whole salad right on the sheet pan. This method is such an easy way to make sure each leaf of lettuce and all the veggies get coated with the lemony Dijon Dressing. A fresh and beautiful way to create a salad!

 

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounces) can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

• 6 (½ inch) slices of Italian or French bread, cut into cubes

• 1 stick of Salted Challenge Butter, melted

• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed or minced

• 1 teaspoon of dry Italian herbs (optional)

• 4 cups of lettuce of your choice, cut or torn into bite-size pieces

• ½ cup of cherry tomatoes, cut in half

• ½ cup of cucumber slices

• 2-3 medium-size carrots

• 2/3 cup of crumbled feta or shaved Parmesan

• 1-2 lemons, enough to yield ¼ of juice and 2 Tablespoons of zest

• 2 Tablespoons of Dijon mustard

• ½ cup of a good quality olive oil

• Salt and pepper to taste

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Directions

1. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Drain and rinse chickpeas, and dry on a paper towel. Place chickpeas on the lined sheet pan, and dry roast in the oven for 20 minutes.

3. Remove sheet pan from oven and add bread cubes. Combine the melted butter with 2 cloves of garlic and Italian herbs if desired. Pour over bread cubes and chickpeas, toss well to coat. Place sheet pan back into the oven for an additional 15-20 minutes. Halfway through cook time, toss bread and chickpeas to promote even browning. Remove from oven and let cool. Remove parchment paper from the pan.

4. Add lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers to a sheet pan. Using a vegetable peeler, peel carrots onto a sheet pan to create ribbons. Sprinkle on cheese.

5. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 cloves of garlic with the lemon juice, zest, and Dijon. Whisk in olive oil. Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste.

6. Drizzle dressing over items on the sheet pan. Toss salad to coat all items well and serve!

 Serves dinner portions, 12 side dish portions

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Chef Tips:

• This salad has a Mediterranean flair, so feel free to add more ingredients to make it even more special! Olives, thin strips of bell peppers, sliced red onion, pepperoncini’s, pinenuts, or even slices of pepperoni and hard salami would be great additions.

• Have leftover bread? Day-old bread is a great thing when it comes to making homemade croutons. In fact, for extra crunchy croutons after cubing your bread, leave them on the countertop for a few hours to dry out. The dry bread will absorb the butter and brown nicely!

• If you want some extra fresh flavors, go bold with herbs! Add fresh basil leaves or cilantro leaves to the lettuce or dice 2 tablespoons and add to the dressing.

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