Chickpea and Black Bean Salad (balela Salad)

If you’ve ever gotten the balela salad from Trader Joe’s, you know. That unassuming little pre-made bean salad is truly tasty. But it doesn’t last long. It comes in a rather small container and it really only will maybeeee yield two meals (when paired with a grain or on top of a salad). So I set out to make it myself and I 100% succeeded. It turned out so good. If you’ve never tried the balela from Trader Joe’s but a healthy chickpea and black bean salad sounds tasty, keep reading!

Ingredients for chickpea and black bean salad

• Chickpeas or garbanzo beans
• Black beans
• Onion
• Tomatoes
• Parsley
• Cilantro
• Mint
• Lemon juice
• Red wine vinegar
• Oil – be sure to use a neutral tasting oil like avocado or canola
• Salt and pepper
• Cayenne

As this ingredient list suggests, this salad is so flavorful! Lemon, garlic and all the herbs make it tangy and fresh. Then the beans give a creaminess that balances out the strong flavors so nicely. It’s perfect for a light lunch.

What to eat with chickpea and black bean salad

Some delicious additions to this include feta and avocado. Ahhh so so good. Even though I do a lot of baking, I can’t live without salty foods. Salty feta just makes so many things so much better. Including this balela. Then avocado for extra creaminess and flavor. Mmmm!

Round out the meal

Just going to be real straightforward here and tell you I can’t just eat this for a meal. I either put it on top of rice or mixed greens. OR throw the salad into a wrap with brown rice and mixed greens. It’s good on a baked potato too. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

How to make chickpea and black bean salad

Making this salad is SO easy. Use canned chickpeas and black beans so just rinse and drain those and you’re good to go.

Chop tomatoes, onions and fresh herbs. Toss everything in a large bowl with lemon juice, vinegar, oil and seasonings and mix! It tastes great right away but I recommend making it at least 30 minutes ahead of when you want to eat. And it just keeps tasting better and better as it marinates in the fridge.

Tried this recipe?

If you try making this chickpea and black bean salad, let me know! Please leave a comment/rating below to let me know how you liked it. You can also tag me on instagram @thefigjar.