Change up your salad routine with a crisp and crunchy endive radicchio salad. Paired with chickpeas, pecorino and a red wine mustard vinaigrette, this easy and delicious salad is a nice change of pace from your usual bowl of greens.
Have you discovered Belgian endive or radicchio yet? These slightly bitter, crunchy, hearty vegetables are often overlooked but are a worthy addition to your repertoire if you are looking to change up your usual salad routine. So if you’re looking for something different from your usual bowl of greens why not try an endive radicchio salad instead?
Delightfully crisp and crunchy endive and radicchio make for a refreshing salad that’s a nice change of pace from lettuce. Easy to make and filled with contrasting tastes and colors it’s one of my favorite cool weather salads although both endive and radicchio can be found year-round.
What are Chicories?
Belgian endive, escarole, frisee and radicchio are a few common examples of chicories you’ll find at the store. Chicories are a family of leafy vegetables that similar to lettuces can be eaten either raw or cooked. They are generally sturdier than lettuce and have a bitter taste.
When working with a bitter vegetable like endive and radicchio it’s best to pair them with something salty, creamy or bold in flavor. Here the crunchy leaves are paired with creamy chickpeas, salty rich pecorino and a bold red wine vinegar and mustard vinaigrette for a salad that’s well balanced and packed with flavor. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
Ingredient Notes:
(Here are a few notes about the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe. As always find the full list of ingredients and directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
- Endives – You’ll need a few heads of Belgian endives. To easily separate the leaves, simply trim the bottom stem and the leaves will fall apart.
- Radicchio – You’ll need one small head of radicchio. Simply tear the leaves off by hand like you would any other lettuce and chop into bite-sized pieces.
- Chickpeas – I’m using canned chickpeas for convenience but you can also prepare your own if you’d prefer. Make sure to rinse and dry your chickpeas well if you are using canned before adding them to the salad.
- Pecorino – I’ve called for pecorino but any hard salty cheese like Parmesan or Manchego will do. Make sure to choose a cheese made with vegetable rennet not animal to keep the salad vegetarian.
- Parsley – Use flat-leafed Italian parsley not curly.
- Red Wine Vinaigrette – You’ll need red wine vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, a shallot and dried oregano for the dressing.
How to Make an Endive Radicchio Salad:
(Here are the basic steps and some helpful tips on how to make the recipe. Find the full directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
- You’ll start by whisking together the vinaigrette, adding in the rinsed and drained chickpeas and setting that aside while you wash and prepare your salad leaves.
- Once your leaves are ready simply toss them with the marinated chickpeas and toss well to combine.
- Mix in a few shavings of cheese and you are ready to serve.
Since endive and radicchio hold up better than lettuce when dressed this salad is a good option for when you need something that can sit out a bit like for a party or picnic.
Variations:
- Use white beans instead of chickpeas.
- Use Parmesan, Manchego or another hard salty cheese of your choice.
More Endive and Radicchio Recipes:
Endive Radicchio Salad
Change up your salad routine with a crisp and crunchy endive
radicchio salad. Paired with chickpeas, pecorino and a red wine mustard vinaigrette, this easy and delicious salad is a nice change of pace from your usual bowl of greens.
Ingredients
For the Red Wine Vinaigrette:
- 2 Tablespoons/30ml red wine vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons/45ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon/5ml Dijon mustard
- One small shallot, finely minced
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ⅛th teaspoon dried oregano
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the Endive Radicchio Salad:
- 1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 3 heads of Endive, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
- 1 small head of radicchio, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
- ¼ cup finely chopped parsley
- 2 ounces/56g Pecorino cheese (or Parmesan or Manchego). Choose a cheese made with vegetable rennet for vegetarian.
Instructions
- In a large bowl whisk together the ingredients for the vinaigrette. Add drained and rinsed chickpeas and stir to combine.
- Add endive, radicchio and parsley and toss to coat.
- Using a vegetable peeler, shave cheese over the top of the salad, toss lightly to combine and serve.
Notes
Variations:
Use white beans instead of chickpeas.
Use Parmesan, Manchego or another hard salty cheese of your choice.
Storage:
Dressing, endive, radicchio, chickpeas and cheese can all be prepared ahead of time and combined just before serving.
Dietary Info:
Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Vegetarian, Egg-Free, Nut-Free
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 307Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 401mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 4gSugar: 3gProtein: 8g
Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.
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