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Jessica Gavin
December 30, 2023
4.75 from 102 votes
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Make yourself a healthy rainbow of colors for your next vegetarian meal and top it with a creamy avocado lemon sauce! This salad is loaded with spiralized vegetables and crunchy roasted chickpeas.
Have you noticed the explosion of zoodles or spiralized vegetable noodle recipes lately? I mean what’s not to like when you’ve turned a simple vegetable into a much more beautiful curly string of wholesome goodness. It’s the cool thing to do.
Whoever would have predicted that eating healthy would be so fancy! Like any good scientist, I decided that I finally needed to do some investigating. I’m here to report back on my sleuthing. I must say, the results are delightful. Are you ready to check out this method for making eating your veggies more fun?
There are many choices out there to get the spiral action going with your vegetables. I purchased a spiralizer a little more affordable, about $15 to just get the basics down. The spiralizer I bought has two sides, a small and large noodle width.
You choose a side and then twist your vegetables like your sharpening a pencil. That’s it!This yields pretty long strings of twisted vegetables. I found that more hearty, robust vegetables like carrots and zucchini work great with this tool. This handheld spiralizer was quick and easy to use and store. They weren’t the most perfect noodles, but it got the job done.
If you want more versatility to spiralize larger vegetables like butternut squash and large sweet potatoes, than a unit that clamps in the ingredient and uses a handle to twist would be better. Those run up to $50 and take up more kitchen space. I wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment yet!
In this recipe, I used a variety of colorful carrots, zucchini, and yellow squash. These harder vegetables hold up very nicely when tossed in dressing, and gives a nice crunchy texture. Don’t they look so pretty? It only took me a minute or two to curl each vegetable. I cut off the ends first, then started spiralizing.
To give some contrast to the crisp vegetables, this avocado lemon cilantro dressing adds just the right creaminess. I quickly made the dressing in my blender. I just tossed in half an avocado, Greek yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, fresh cilantro leaves, and olive oil. So straightforward and easy! The creamy dressing sticks onto each ribbon of vegetable, so every bite captures the earthy flavors.
To take the crunch up a notch and keep the salad low-carb, I added roasted chickpeas. These protein and fiber-packed legumes add that extra crispy texture. Check out my step-by-step guide for how to roast chickpeas so you can customize the flavors. They make a great healthy snack!
Wow, I bet you didn’t even realize you ate a whole bowl of veggies with all of those beautiful elements combined in one bowl. The eye-catching colors, smooth and crisp textures, it’s some eye candy for sure. Each forkful is a powerful combination of phytonutrients, protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. This salad is delicious on its own, or you can add some grilled tofu, chicken or shrimp for a heartier meal.
More Spiralized recipes
- Apple Salad with Citrus Dressing
- Chicken Bruschetta with Zucchini Noodles
- Shrimp Pad Thai with Vegetable Noodles
What is a Spiralizer and how do you use it?
Are you looking to incorporate more vegetables on your plate or looking to reduce your carbohydrate intake? The spiralizer tool can be your new favorite kitchen buddy! Spiralizers work like a large pencil sharpener, making the curliest produce pasta. You can buy a simple handheld model that cuts smaller vegetables by you twisting the vegetable. Larger toaster-sized units are more versatile where you add a firm vegetable and hold in place with a clamp over the grinder, and then use the hand crank to make the gears cut the vegetables into ribbons.
Spiralized Vegetable Salad with Roasted Chickpeas
Make yourself a healthy rainbow of colors for your next vegetarian meal and topped with a creamy avocado lemon sauce.
Pin PrintSaveReview
4.75 from 102 votes
Prep Time30 minutes mins
Cook Time30 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr
Servings 4 servings
Course Salad
Cuisine Mediterranean
Ingredients
Salad
- 4 large carrots
- 1 large zucchini
- 1 large yellow squash
- ¼ cup greek yogurt, plain
- ½ avocado
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus zest
- ½ cup cilantro leaves, plus ½ cup chopped for garnish
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup olive oil
- black pepper
- sesame seeds, for garnish
Chickpeas
- 15 ounces chickpeas, 1 can, garbanzo beans
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
Roasted Chickpeas
Preheat oven to 400ºF.
Drain and rinse the chickpeas and spread them out on a paper towel-lined baking sheet.
Pat them dry with a paper towel, removing, and skins that came off the beans. Toss with oil and salt.
Roast the chickpeas for 30-35 minutes until they are golden in color and crispy on the outside. The center may still be slightly soft. If you want the chickpeas even crispier, turn off the oven and allow the chickpeas to continue drying about 30-40 minutes more.
Make the salad while you roast the chickpeas.
Vegetable Salad
Cut your vegetables using a spiralizer. If you don’t have a spiralizer, use a vegetable peeler to create long strips, or you can thinly slice the vegetables into ⅛-inch thin strips. Add vegetables to a mixing bowl.
Blend yogurt, avocado, water, lemon juice, zest, cilantro, garlic, and salt in a blender until smooth.
Add in olive oil and blend for a few minutes more until creamy. Season with more salt and pepper as needed.
Toss together the noodles with the dressing, adding a small amount of dressing at a time until coated to your liking. There will be extra dressing.
Sprinkle salad with sesame seeds, chopped cilantro and serve with roasted chickpeas, croutons, avocado slices or any additional toppings of your choice.
Recipe Video
Equipment
Spiralizer
Countertop Blender
Nutrition Facts
Serves: 4 servings
Calories 273kcal (14%)Carbohydrates 13g (4%)Protein 4g (8%)Fat 25g (38%)Saturated Fat 4g (20%)Polyunsaturated Fat 3gMonounsaturated Fat 17gCholesterol 1mgSodium 410mg (17%)Potassium 393mg (11%)Fiber 4g (16%)Sugar 4g (4%)Vitamin A 5650IU (113%)Vitamin C 25.6mg (31%)Calcium 40mg (4%)Iron 0.4mg (2%)
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
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Jessica Gavin
I'm a culinary school graduate, cookbook author, and a mom who loves croissants! My passion is creating recipes and sharing the science behind cooking to help you gain confidence in the kitchen.
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Reader Interactions
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50 Comments Leave a comment or review
Msrilyn says
This looks like great salad but my daughter is allergic to Avocado. Do you think it would work without Avocado?
Reply
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you for your comment! 1/2 an avocado would be about 1/2 cup and it’s adding the creaminess to the dressing. I’m thinking perhaps you could use some cheese instead (feta, goat, ricotta, cream cheese). Perhaps start with 1/4 cup and add more to taste. You could also try some cashews, almonds or peanuts to add creaminess, again at 1/4 cup and them increase. Let me know what you decide to use!
Reply
Michelle says
This looks amazing! And I love the roasted chickpeas. Your photo looks like it has one of the veggies roasted, but that is not listed in the recipe. Am I mistaken? Thanks.
Reply
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you Michelle! No roasted veggies, I think it may be the purple carrot that looks roasted? I can’t wait to hear what you think!
Reply
Susi says
Looks amazing! How long can this salad be stored with the dressing on. Thanks
Reply
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you Susi! The vegetables are pretty robust, so I would say 2 days to store the salad with the dressing on it. Try to keep the chickpeas stored in an airtight container at room temperature so it stays extra crispy!
Reply
JUDI Swanson says
to make a day ahead, would it be best to leave the dressing off until right before serving?
Reply
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Judi- Yes, I would wait to add the dressing and perhaps serve on the side.
Reply
Charlotte says
What could I use in place of the greek yogurt? I’m not a dairy fan and definitely not a yogurt fan. Thanks!
Reply
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Charlotte! I would try coconut milk cream, or just coconut milk and add until you get a pourable dressing consistency. Let me know how it goes!
Reply
Lindsay S. says
Will it work to roast the chickpeas a day before serving? Or will they lose their “crunch”?
Reply
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Lindsay! You can definitely roast the chickpeas a day before, they actually last a few weeks in an air tight container and stay super crispy 🙂
Reply
LisaR says
Just made this for guests and everyone loved it. They especially wanted the recipe for the dressing. Besides tasting good, everyone was happy that it was healthy as well. Thanks for a great recipe.
Reply
Julie says
I just bought a ninja blender with a spiralizer and started looking for recipes. Yours was the first that sounded so yummy, I can’t wait for it to arrive so I can make this. Your pictures are beautiful, thanks for sharing this recipe.
Reply
Jessica Gavin says
Wow, I didn’t know that the Ninja blender has a spiralizer attachment! Let me know how the recipe turns out for you, would love to hear your feedback!
Reply
WILLIAM E BURKHART says
Do you have another suggestion for a dressing. I won’t eat avacados. Thanks.
Reply
Jessica Gavin says
Hi William- I have a classic balsamic vinaigrette dressing on the website you can check out that would be tasty.
Reply
Samantha Nemazie says
This recipe is amazing and definitely a keeper. My fiancé was skeptical because of the raw veggies and he loved it too!
Reply
Julie Boruff says
Looks so good! Any suggestion on what to add if you don’t like cilantro?
Reply
Jessica Gavin says
Parsley or basil would be nice substitutions for cilantro.
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