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This easy-to-make Trader-Joe's-friendly Chickpea and Quinoa Mason Jar Salad is delicious and you'll love having it on hand! Perfect for travel or meal prep!
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This mason jar salad is perfect for travel, easy to meal prep, and so convenient to keep on hand.
You're going to love this salad because it's:
- Fresh + crisp: Layered to keep veggies crunchy and greens from getting soggy.
- Hearty + satisfying: Chickpeas, quinoa, salami, and mozzarella make it a complete meal.
- Meal-prep perfect: Stays fresh in the fridge for up to 4 days, ready whenever you are.
- Trader Joe's Friendly: snag almost everything at Trader Joe’s, which makes it basically a cheat code for easy meal prep.
Ingredients
Let's talk about the ingredients but first, the dressing.
To make the dressing just whisk together: olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, dijon mustard, honey, stone ground mustard, shallot, and a few spices.
The trick to this dressing is using both Dijon and stone ground mustard — one for creamy texture, the other for little bursts of tangy flavor.
For the salad:
- Garbanzo beans – for plant-based protein, fiber, and a hearty base.
- Mozzarella (shredded or pearls) – brings creaminess and a mild, rich flavor. I like to use pearls for convenience.
- Persian cucumbers – crisp and refreshing, perfect for crunch.
- Red onions – a little sharpness to balance the richness.
- Tomatoes – juicy, bright, and fresh.
- Kalamata olives – salty, briny flavor that adds depth. If you’re not an olive fan, I urge you to give them another try, they’re an acquired taste.
- Quinoa – for a nutty, protein-packed grain that makes the salad more filling.
- Salami – savory, slightly smoky bites for extra flavor.
- Lettuce or baby arugula – light and fresh greens that finish the salad off.
The layering in this salad isn’t just for looks—it’s what keeps everything fresh and crisp. Sturdier ingredients like chickpeas and cucumbers sit at the bottom with the dressing, while delicate greens stay at the top to avoid wilting.
The process (+ a video)
Start by whisking together the lemon-shallot dressing. It’s the flavor punch that ties everything together. Drain and rinse your chickpeas, toss them with the mozzarella and dressing, and let them hang out while you chop the rest of your veggies.
Now grab your mason jars and layer: chickpea mixture on the bottom, crunchy veggies next, then quinoa, salami, and finally your greens on top so they don’t wilt. Screw on the lids and stash them in the fridge.
They’ll keep for a few days and taste even better as they sit. Want to see exactly how it comes together?
Check out the step-by-step video below.
Which mason jar is best for this salad?
This recipe fills four 16 oz wide-mouth mason jars, making them perfect for meal prep or grab-and-go lunches.
More recipes you'll love:
No boring salads here! Try some of my favorite salads (the Pear and Arugula Salad is fantastic!):
Ingredients
Lemon Shallot Dressing
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp honey
- ½ tsp stone ground mustard
- ½ shallot minced
- ¼ tsp each: pepper, salt, + oregano
Salad
- 1 15 oz can garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
- ½ cup fresh mozzarella shredded or pearls
- 3 Persian cucumbers chopped
- ¼ cup red onions chopped
- ¼ cup tomatoes chopped
- ¼ cup Kalamata olives chopped
- ½ cup quinoa cooked and cooled to room temperature
- ¼ cup salami sliced into strips
- ¼ cup lettuce blend or baby arugula
Instructions
- Whisk together all of the ingredients for the lemon shallot vinaigrette. Set aside.
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas and put them in a bowl with the mozzarella. Add the dressing, cover, and set aside while you prep the rest of your ingredients.
- Grab 4 wide-mouth mason jars and divide the chickpeas and mozzarella equally between the jars. It’s important to put the chickpea mixture as the base of the mason jar salad so that the rest of your ingredients don’t get soggy.
- Next layer the cucumbers (between the mason jars), then the red onions, tomatoes, kalamata olives, quinoa, and salami.
- To finish, top each mason jar with lettuce and screw the lids on. Store in the refrigerator.
Notes
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