Name: Fall arugula salad with apples, walnuts & cinnamon-roasted chickpeas
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, or 3/4 cup dried; 1 tsp cinnamon; 1 tsp olive oil; 1/4 tsp salt; 8 ounces arugula (4-5 cups); 2 apples (see note); 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice); 1/4 cup chopped walnuts; 1/4 cup olive oil; 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar (white, if possible); 2 Tbsp maple syrup; 1 tsp cinnamon; 1/4 tsp salt

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This arugula salad recipe features seasonal apples and cinnamon-roasted chickpeas. I share a simple technique to make sure the chickpeas are crispy.

The salad is finished with chopped walnuts and a maple-balsamic dressing coats the arugula.

This apple salad recipe tastes like fall. It can be a meal on its own, especially with the protein from the chickpeas, but it also makes a nice light side salad to a stew. Try pairing it with this Moroccan chicken stew with cinnamon-raisin couscous.

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Recipe
Fall arugula salad with apples, walnuts & cinnamon-roasted chickpeas
Arugula & other salad greens
Best apples for salad
How to roast chickpeas to actually get them crispy
More recipes & resources

Recipe

Apple arugula salad with chickpeas, on a plate next to some apples.

Fall arugula salad with apples, walnuts & cinnamon-roasted chickpeas

Veronica T

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Prep Time10

Total Time50

Calories370

Servings salads

Ingredients

Chickpeas

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, or ¾ cup dried
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt

Salad + Dressing

8 ounces arugula 4-5 cups
2 apples see note
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
¼ cup chopped walnuts
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar white, if possible
2 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

Crispy Chickpeas

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, convection if you have it.
Drain and rinse the canned chickpeas, or soak + cook dried ones according to their package (I use dried).
Dry with a towel then spread over a rimmed baking sheet, making sure it isn't too crowded (or they will steam instead of roast).
Place the chickpeas in the oven for 10-15 minutes with nothing else on them to dry them out as much as possible.
Meanwhile, whisk the olive oil, salt, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
After the chickpeas dried for 10-15 minutes in the oven, remove them and carefully toss with the seasoned olive oil mix. I just pour the oil on the pan and use a rubber spatula to roll them around to fully coat.
Return to oven and roast for 15-20 more minutes, until crispy.

Salad + Dressing

Cut the apples into slices or chunks. Toss in a bowl filled with cold water with 1 tablespoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar (to keep them from turning brown).
Make the dressing: whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, maple syrup, cinnamon and salt.
Combine & Serve
Toss the arugula and apples with the dressing. Top with walnuts and chickpeas.

Notes

Apples: any variety will work. I like to use 1 tart and 1 sweet for added complexity.

Balsamic vinegar: I like a white balsamic vinegar which tends to be lighter and lets the maple syrup and cinnamon come through. Alternatively, if you can find flavored ones (I have a pear-cinnamon one that is perfect on this salad), go for it!

Nutrition

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Arugula & other salad greens

I enjoy the peppery flavor of arugula in salads with a sweet dressing and fruit. The softer nature of arugula pairs well with the crunchy apples, chickpeas, and walnuts.

Buy fresh arugula, and try to use it within a few days. I've found that arugula goes bad faster than other types of lettuce, like kale or romaine.

This recipe also works great with several other lettuce options.

Kale is a great alternative for this salad. It will even hold up well if you use hot chickpeas right out of the oven. The best way to use kale is to massage the dressing on the leaves at least 10 minutes before serving.

Spinach is a classic fall salad green and will also make a great substitute in this salad.

Best apples for salad

Honestly, any type of apple will work in this arugula salad - I like to use both tart and sweet apples for added complexity. That said, some apples have advantages over other varieties in salads.

Cortland, Empire, Pink Lady, and Gala are a few of the apples that are slow to brown when cut. This makes them ideal for a salad that you might be preparing a bit ahead of time.

To keep any apple from browning, soak the slices in a bowl of cold water with apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.

Buy organic if you can, since apples are one of the crops heavily sprayed with pesticides. Also seek them out at the farmers market so you know they are fresh. Since apples can be stored for over a year in industrial facilities, it's hard to know if you are getting fresh ones at the grocery store - and they do lose quality when stored that long.

For more apple tips (and recipes), check out my page covering everything you need to know when apples are in season.

How to roast chickpeas to actually get them crispy

Roasted chickpeas are great on salads - when you can get actually get them crispy. After several failed attempts with different techniques, I was convinced that other people defined 'crispy' differently than I did (as in, chewy, not crispy), or I was missing something obvious.

Then I came across a tip from Laura at Joy Food Sunshine:

Bake them “naked” first! I bake the chickpeas {after they have been thoroughly rinsed and dried} for 15 minutes without any oil or seasoning on them.
Joy Food Sunshine

It worked like a charm. The missing step was making sure the chickpeas were extra dry, which the oven can do for me. After 10 or 15 minutes, I took them out, tossed them with oil and seasonings, and finished roasting them. 90% of them were satisfyingly crunchy.

I used the chickpeas right away, but if you want to save them for later, Laura has another good tip. She suggests turning the oven off, cracking the door, and letting them cool so they maintain their crispiness later on.