I've been loving "quick fixes" lately because I'm cooking triple time in preparation for the cookbook. So, at the end of the day the last thing I want is something elaborate, time consuming, and dirty dish-creating. I just want something easy and delicious. Well, this salad takes about 10 minutes to whip up and will satisfy both your stomach AND your taste buds. As a matter of fact, it might be the most excitement your taste buds have seen a while. Pesto is seriously flavorful.

There were at least five brands of pesto at my grocery store, ranging from $1.99 to over $6, all for about the same size container. So, be sure to scour the shelves and get the best deal because that will either make or break the cost of the recipe. And hey, if you've got a bunch of fresh basil growing in your yard, make your own pesto! It will be even mo' bettah!

You can eat this salad several ways. Straight out of the bowl (like I was trying not to do), on a bed of salad greens, stuffed into a pita with some sliced tomato, or even as a cracker dip. It's good no matter what and fairly addicting, if I do say so myself.

Oh, this can easily be made vegan, too. Just sub the mayonnaise with some vegannaise!

Pesto Chickpea Salad

Total Recipe cost: $3.98
Servings Per Recipe: 4 (1 cup each)
Cost per serving: $1.00
Prep time: 10 min. Cook time: 0 min. Total: 10 min.

INGREDIENTS		COST
2 (15 oz.) cans	chickpeas / garbanzo beans	$2.54
1/4 cup	pesto	$0.66
1/4 cup	mayonnaise	$0.33
1 Tbsp	lemon juice	$0.06
1/4 small	red onion	$0.14
1/4 bunch	fresh parsley	$0.25
TOTAL		$3.98

STEP 1: Empty the cans of chickpeas into a colander and rinse well with cool water. Allow the excess water to drain away. Give it a shake or two to help the water drain off.

STEP 2: In a large bowl stir together the pesto, mayonnaise, and lemon juice. Add the drained chickpeas. Stir it together and lightly mash the beans.

STEP 3: Pull the parsley leaves from their stems and give them a rough chop. Thinly slice the onion or cut it into a small dice. Stir the parsley and onion into the chickpea mixture and serve.

Step By Step Photos

Rinse the chickpeas in a colander and let the water drain off.


This is the pesto that I found for only $1.99. It's super potent so you don't need to use a lot. I used only 1/3 of this jar and the rest will keep for quite a while in the refrigerator. You can find usually find pesto in a few different places - near salad dressings, near pasta sauces, or near pickled items like artichoke hearts and olives.


Be careful when opening your pesto because the oil will all be on top and it will jump out at you... or at least mine did. You'll need to give the pesto a good stir to mix the oil back in.


Stir together the mayo, pesto, and lemon juice. The creamy mayo makes a nice companion to the sharp pesto and kind of mellows things out, while the lemon juice freshens it up.


Stir together pesto/mayo and the drained chickpeas.


Mash up some of the chickpeas as you mix it together. This makes it more like an egg salad or tuna salad texture.


Add the roughly chopped parsley and thinly sliced (or diced) onions and stir everything together.


TA-DA! You're done and you've got a delicious, healthy meal. Pat yourself on the back.