Antipasto Chickpea Salad for #BBQWeek

WELCOME to the fourth day of BBQ Week! I'm so excited to be joining a group of fabulous bloggers ready to help get you in the mood for breaking out the grill and firing up some hot and tasty eats. Be sure to follow our Pinterest board for more summer BBQ ideas. Thank you to Christie from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures and Ellen from Family Around the Table for hosting the event.

Let's see what everyone is bringing to the barbecue today! 

Thursday #BBQWeek Recipes

Appetizers and Drinks

Berry Basil Moscow Mules by Daily Dish Recipes

Virgin Strawberry Daiquiris by House of Nash Eats

Watermelon Raspberry Lemonade by Kate's Recipe Box

Side Dishes

Antipasto Chickpea Salad by Making Miracles
Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad by Sweet Beginnings
Dutch Oven Potatoes by Devour Dinner
Summer Pasta Salad by SueBee Homemaker

Main Dishes
Grilled Ham Steak with Honey Mustard Glaze by Blogghetti

Desserts
Strawberry Margarita Ice Cream Sandwiches by That Recipe

Look at this gorgeous salad! It is absolutely bursting with flavor and freshness. I love all of the different textures too. You can pack this as heavy on the salad greens as you'd like - or you could even leave them out if you'd prefer this to be more of a "bean salad" - and if you don't want to worry about the greens getting too wet if it has to sit. 

This is a great dish to prep ahead of time - mix everything except the spinach together and refrigerate until you're ready to serve. Then mix in the greens, or spoon the chickpea mixture over the greens on a platter and you're all set!

If you like more bite from the pepperoncini peppers, I think you could add about twice the called for amount. I am a huge fan of them, and would have enjoyed a little bit more of that "zing" in more of the bites. This one is easy to tweak quantities on to reach your preferred combination. 

Antipasto Chickpea Salad

Dressing

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp minced garlic (jarred)

1 TBS Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 black pepper

Salad

2 (15.5-oz) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 14-oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

8-oz mozzarella balls

2 roma tomatoes, diced

3-oz salami, diced

3/4 - 1 cup black olives, drained and diced

1/2 cup chopped pepperoncini peppers

2 - 4 cups packed baby spinach

Directions

1. In a small bowl combine all dressing ingredients. Whisk to emulsify until creamy and well blended. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl combine: chickpeas, artichoke hearts, mozzarella balls, diced tomatoes, diced salami, diced olives, and chopped pepperoncini peppers. Toss gently to combine. Drizzle with the dressing and toss again to coat. 
3. Arrange the spinach on a large platter and spoon the chickpea mixture evenly all over the greens, and drizzle with any remaining dressing from the bowl to serve. You can also add the greens into the bowl and toss if you have room, and prefer to serve in the bowl.

Recipe adapted from Delish