Loaded Kale Caesar Salad with Crispy Chickpeas

This salad has everything: tons of different textures and flavors, filling protein, satiating fat and the most delicious homemade dressing to tie everything together.

I love a good Caesar salad. It’s a go to order for when I go to a restaurant that has them.

But, I always need something else with it. Because on its own, a Caesar salads really isn’t that filling. I mean, it’s basically just lettuce.

That’s what inspired me to make this loaded Caesar salad. I wanted a salad that had all the deliciousness of your usual Caesar salad, but also one that was much more filling.

And, because the flavors in Caesar salads are so versatile, there are a lot of toppings that easily blended so well with it.

To start, the crispy chickpeas are beyond delicious. They add a great crunch and also, some filling protein and fiber.

Next, roasted carrots totally take this salad to a new level. If you’ve never roasted carrots before, you must. Roasting them brings out their sweetness, giving them an incredible caramelized flavor.

Then, toasted walnuts add a warm, nutty flavor with more crunch - always a good thing. You can totally use croutons too, but I find that the fat from walnuts helps to make the salad even more filling. FYI, if you’re not already, make sure to store walnuts in the fridge or freezer. Because they’re so high in fat, they can go rancid otherwise (read more about walnuts and how to store them here!).

Lastly, creamy avocado ties this all together. Because what’s a salad without avocado?

Oh, and we can’t forget the dressing! While I love a good store-bought dressing (Brianna’s Asiago Caesar is my favorite if you don’t feel like making your own), this homemade Caesar dressing is legit drinkable. It’s the one I use on this Caesar Salad Pizza recipe and I truly can’t get enough of it.

While this salad might be filling on its own, it’s also delicious paired with other things too. Try having it with seared salmon and some toasted sourdough - so good together.

Chop the carrots

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Peel and chop carrots into thick pieces. Add to a large bowl.

Rinse & drain chickpeas

Rinse and drain chickpeas. Pat them dry. Add them to the large bowl with the carrots and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil plus the paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Spread out the carrots and chickpeas evenly on the lined baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, shaking the pan to toss about halfway through.

Prepare the salad

Roughly chop the walnuts. Toss them with the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil plus salt and pepper.

When the carrots and chickpeas have about 5 minutes left, make room on the baking sheet and add the walnuts for the remaining 5 minutes.

Remove everything from the oven and set aside to let cool.

De-stem and chop kale. Using your hands, gently massage kale for about a minute to soften it. Roughly chop the romaine lettuce and add to a large bowl with the kale.

Dice the avocado and set aside.

Mix the dressing

Make the dressing: add all dressing ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Assemble the salad: top kale and lettuce with roasted carrots, crispy chickpeas, toasted walnuts and diced avocado. Toss with dressing. Optional to top with shaved parmesan cheese and serve.

Everything else you need to know!

Storage: Store all prepared salad ingredients separately: the kale and lettuce, the roasted chickpeas, roasted carrots and toasted walnuts. When you’re ready to eat, assemble the salad and add the dressing - this will prevent the toppings from getting soggy.
Optional add ons: Shaved parmesan cheese is always delicious on a Caesar salad! Other things that would be great in it are roasted sweet potato cubes, chopped tomatoes or anchovies if you’re a fan of them.

Did you try this recipe?

I hope you love this Loaded Kale Caesar Salad with Crispy Chickpeas recipe! If you make it be sure to leave a comment below, mention @Veggiesandchocolate or tag #Veggiesandchocolate so I know how you liked it. I can’t wait to see your creations!