Inspired by a trip to Greece, this Athenian Garbanzo Bean Salad with Green Apple Vinaigrette is a sweet, tart, savory and crunchy salad – perfect for summer dining.
A few weeks ago <3M and I took a dream vacation to Rome, Italy and Greece, visiting the island of Santorini and spending a few days in the city of Athens. It was seriously a foodie’s vacation. We honestly ate our way across the two countries. There was no holding back. We ate everything — bread, wine, cheese, pasta, sweets — is your mouth watering yet?
Below are a few snapshots of some of my favorite bites from the trip plus a few breathtaking views. If you want more, head over to my Instagram and scroll back to early May for extra meals pics and trip highlights.
While I tasted my way across Italy & Greece, I was taking notes on my favorite dishes so when I landed back home in my own kitchen, I could recreate my most memorable meals, like this Athenian Garbanzo Bean Salad with Green Apple Vinaigrette. <3M & I shared this Garbanzo Bean Salad while dining in Athens and it was definitely one of our favorite dishes of the trip.
One reason I absolutely love Greek food is because everything is prepared very simply, using fresh ingredients and this Athenian Garbanzo Bean Salad with Green Apple Vinaigrette is no exception.
Each ingredient in the bean salad is easily identifiable which is why it was so easy to recreate at home. My favorite ingredient in this bean salad is definitely the surprise pop of pomegranate arils. They’re crunchy, sweet and also a bit tart.
If you’ve never worked in a pomegranate before, there’s no need to feel intimidated. You can purchase pomegranate arils at the store but you can also purchase a whole pomegranate and remove the arils on your own. The process really is quite simple and straight forward:
- Fill a large bowl with cold water and place it in your sink
- Cut the pomegranate in half
- Hold a pomegranate half over the bowl filled with water and use your fingers to gently break the arils away from the white pulp. If there’s any juice splatter, your sink will keep it from staining your kitchen.
- As you break away the seeds, they’ll fall into the water and sink to the bottom of the bowl, while the pulp will float to the top
- Once you’re done, skim the white pulp from the bowl, strain out the water and you’re left clean pomegranate arils that are ready to eat!
If that’s too much, there’s also this nifty trick where you beat the pomegranate with a wooden spoon to remove the arils but in my attempts, this didn’t work and I actually broke my wooden spoon. If you have any luck with this method, let me know but I believe it also depends on the age/ripeness of your pomegranate. Either way, I guarantee my above method works.
If you have any luck with this method, let me know! Either way, I guarantee my above method works.
Like the salad ingredients, the dressing is also very simple with a bit of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon and a touch of honey. All together this Athenian Garbanzo Bean Salad with Gren Apple Vinaigrette is sweet, tart, savory and crunchy.
Like most meals I make, this Athenian Garbanzo Bean Salad with Green Apple Vinaigrette can be thrown together in less than 20 minutes. It tastes great freshly made but I definitely prefer to let the bean salad sit for at least an hour to chill and let the flavors marinade and blend together. This bean salad is perfect for a warm summer night paired with a bit of grilled shrimp or chicken. It’s also great served atop a bed of lettuce for a light, vegetarian lunch.
- 3 cups garbanzo beans
- 1 medium tart green apple (like a Granny Smith), chopped to a quarter inch
- 2 tablespoons red onion, diced
- ¼ cup golden raisins
- pomegranate arils, from half of a pomegranate
- ¼ cup fresh mint, finely chopped*
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- juice of half a lemon
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, lemon juice, cumin, salt & pepper until emulsified. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the garbanzo beans, chopped green apple, diced onion, raisins, and pomegranate arils.
- Pour the dressing over the garbanzo bean mixture and gently toss to coat.
- If serving immediately, fold in the fresh mint.
- If serving later, place the salad in the fridge to chill for at least an hour and just prior to serving, chop and fold in the mint.
