Chickpea ‘Puttanesca’ Style Salad

With crispy herby breadcrumbs

This delicious recipe packed full of Mediterranean flavour and goodness is available in all Better Food cafes to celebrate Organic September.

Ready in 30
(+20-30 mins resting time)

Serves: 6-8
(as a generous side dish)

Top Tip: Use the reserved tomato juice to add a boost of flavour in your soups, pasta sauces, bloody marys or salad dressings!

Ingredients

• 2 tins Mr Organic Chopped Tomatoes
• 125g cooked Mr Organic Red Lentil Rice (or brown rice)
• 1 jar Mr Organic Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 jar Mr Organic Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• Small handful fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
• 60ml extra virgin olive oil
• 15 Kalamata olives, pitted and roughly torn
• 30g non pareilles capers, drained
• 1 lemon, juiced plus extra to taste
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Herby Breadcrumb Topping

• 100g stale sourdough bread
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Approx 2 tbsp parsley and/or basil stalks and leaves
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• Zest of ½ lemon
• Pinch of sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Drain the chopped tomatoes in a sieve for 15 minutes.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the chickpeas, cannellini beans, cooked red lentil rice, parsley, basil, olives, capers, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic.

3. Add the drained tomatoes to the bowl. See our Top Tip for how to use the reserved juices!

4. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Mix gently so the tomatoes stay chunky.

5. Leave for 20-30 minutes before serving to allow the flavours to develop.

6. Taste and adjust with extra lemon juice, olive oil or seasoning if needed.

7. Scatter generously with crispy herby breadcrumbs just before serving to keep them crunchy.

Herby Breadcrumb Topping

Method

1. Blitz the stale bread into coarse crumbs.

2. Finely chop or blitz the herbs and garlic.

3. Toss with olive oil, lemon zest, salt and pepper.

4. Spread onto a baking tray and bake at 180°C fan oven for 10 minutes, stirring halfway, until crisp and golden. You can also airfry at 180°C for 5 minutes.

5. Cool completely before scattering over the salad.

6. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and some fresh basil leaves, if desired.

Storage: Leftover salad will keep for up to two days in the fridge. Store the breadcrumbs separately at room temperature in an airtight container.

Vegan & Gluten Free without the breadcrumb topping

Click here for the full recipe video