Vegan Nicoise Salad
It’s January so we are all trying to eat a little healthier right? Do your body a favor and add this mega nutritious, extra delicious, plant-based salad to your meal planning list! I promise it won’t disappoint. A good Nicoise salad has always had a special place in my heart, mostly because one of my favorite beach bars in Costa Rica makes a mean Nicoise salad, so it totally reminds me of relaxing on the beach. With potatoes, green beans, and chickpeas, this Nicoise salad is a little heartier than your average salad and makes a tasty, fresh, and filling meal. But the very best part of this salad is the simplicity of ingredients, it lets everything shine in its simplest form with a splash of lemon dressing of course!
This Nicoise salad is pretty quick and easy to prep, especially if you cook up potatoes and green beans and make up the salad dressing ahead of time. It all keeps well in the refrigerator which makes this is a super speedy 5-minute meal prep, which is great for quick lunches. Really this is like a gather all your ingredients and toss them in kind of recipe; it doesn’t matter the order or what goes where. Add more of your favorites, less of the rest. Go veggie crazy!
Potatoes
First, cook up the potatoes. No need to peel the potatoes, just chop them into small bite-size cubes and pop them in some water to boil. I’ve kind of grown into a potato snob over the years. If you offer me a russet potato, I’ll probably pass. If mention fingerling potatoes or one of the many varieties of sweet potato, I’m all in. There are just so many different varieties of potatoes, don’t settle for a basic baked potato! I find this recipe works best with Yukon gold, they have a creamy texture and are slightly sweet, which balances nicely with the lemon dressing.
Green Beans
Next, toss the green beans in the pot of boiling water with potatoes for about the last two minutes of cook time. You could warm up the green beans separately, this is just my lazy one-pot trick to save time and washing dishes. We love to make this salad in the summer when we can pick fresh petite green beans right off the vine in our backyard. Garden fresh green beans are a whole nother level of freshness that you just can’t find in the store. When it’s cold outside we usually buy frozen green beans, but look for the Haricot Vert variety. These french green beans are always smaller and I think more flavorful. If you are using fresh green beans from the garden, you don’t even need to cook them, just use the raw green beans straight from the garden for that extra delicious crunch.
Chickpeas
Once your potatoes and green beans are cooked, it’s salad assembly time! Start with some spinach, add a serving of potatoes, green beans, and chickpeas. If you follow my recipes you probably already know that I like to sneak in some beans where ever I can and chickpeas are our family’s go-to bean of choice. So, of course, we always add some chickpeas to this salad. It is an excellent replacement for the tuna or sardines in a traditional Nicoise salad and makes this a protein-packed plant-based meal. The chickpeas pair nicely with the lemon dressing, but you could use any white bean in this salad, like great northern, cannellini, or dried baby lima beans. Pick your favorite!
Olives, Shallots, and Fennel Wisps
Lastly, add in some salty briny olives, shallots, and fennel. Traditionally this recipe calls for Nicoise olives, but here in Denver, Colorado those are near impossible to find so I just use kalamata olives. They are similar enough in color, flavor, and texture and more importantly readily available. I’m a fan of the Mediterranean Organic kalamata olives they are usually stocked at Whole Foods and my favorite Colorado store, Natural Grocers. Mostly, you just need that extra bit of tang and salt to make this dish pop!
This salad shines with some kind of onion, shallots are my favorite choice, they have a hint of garlic and are a little less strong than red onion. If you’re looking for a more mild flavor, chop up a little green onion instead.
Lastly, add some fennel wisps, the green ends of the fennel. I love the slight flavor of fennel these add and the light texture they add. Truly the finishing touch.
Hungry yet? Let’s get cooking!
Vegan Nicoise Salad
A quick and delicious Vegan Nicoise Salad recipe with a simple lemon and olive oil homemade dressing. Load up on your veggies with this hearty whole-meal salad.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Healthy
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 2 Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/4 cubes
- 2 cups of frozen green beans (Haricot verts)
- 4 cups of fresh spinach
- 1/2 small shallot, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup of kalamata olives
- 1 cup of canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup of fresh tomato, cut into bite-sized chunks
- Handful of fennel wisps
Lemon Dressing
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat up some water in a medium-sized saucepan. Once it reaches a boil add the chopped potato. Cook for about 8 minutes and add the frozen green beans. Cook for an additional 2 minutes, then strain and rinse with cold water.
- While the potatoes are cooking, make the lemon dressing. Add the fresh lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper to a small bowl and give it a good stir. It will continue to separate so you’ll need to stir it again right before serving.
- Next, assemble the salads. Add 1 cup of spinach to a large dinner plate. Add some shallots, and then a small pile of chickpeas, kalamata olives, green beans, potatoes, and tomatoes. Add the lemon dressing, sprinkle with fennel wisps, and serve. Easy peasy!
Did You Give This Recipe a Whirl?
Please give it bunches of stars and send a comment to share your thoughts! What was easy? What didn’t work? Did you discover an even more delicious version? I’d love to know to keep improving each recipe.
Sharing is caring! If you love this recipe please pass it along so we can all start eating a little healthier, one delicious meal at a time.
Cheers,
Erica
