Middle Eastern Bean Salad (Balela)

Name: Middle Eastern Bean Salad (Balela)
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 2 cans chickpeas ((garbanzo beans) (3 cups), rinsed and drained); 1 can black beans ((1 1/2 cup) rinsed and drained); 1 white onion (diced); 1 clove garlic (minced); 1 dry pint grape tomatoes ((or cherry tomatoes) quartered); 1/2 cup parsley ((fresh) chopped); 1/4 cup mint ((fresh) chopped); 4 Tablespoons olive oil; 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar; 2 Tablespoons lemon juice; 1/2 teaspoon sumac; cayenne pepper (to taste); salt (to taste)

Balela is a savory Middle Eastern Bean Salad made with chickpeas, black beans, and tomatoes. It’s easy to make and is naturally vegan and gluten-free!

Does this Balela salad look familiar to you?

Even if you’ve never tried it in a restaurant, you may have seen this Middle Eastern Bean Salad in the refrigerated case at Trader Joe’s!

Personally, I’ve been buying it for years. It makes a great lunch. And it can be paired with other favorites such as stuffed grape leaves, hummus and veggies, or a simple green salad.

But one day I asked myself why I keep buying it rather than making it myself.

So I jotted down the ingredients from the package and went to work.

And guess what? It turns out Balela is incredibly easy to make at home!

Plus it contains one of my favorite herbs, sumac.

Do you remember when we talked about ground sumac powder when we made Roasted Chickpea Fattoush Salad?

There’s just something about this delicious spice!

It has a tangy, lemony flavor that brightens your food. If you’ve ever cooked with za’atar spice blend, it’s one of the components.

Sumac is often found in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine. I recommend trying it in salads, on roasted vegetables, and sprinkled on hummus.

In fact, I’m going to add some the next time I make Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad and Olive Cucumber Chickpea Salad. And I encourage you to use recipes as a guide and add your own touches to them.

Are there any foods that you purchase from the market, like Middle Eastern Bean Salad, that you would like to learn how to make at home?

I would love to help, so be sure to leave a comment or send me a message!

Cooking your favorite dishes instead of buying them allows you to control the ingredients and flavors, plus it can save you a lot of money.

This Middle Eastern Bean Salad can be made as mild or spicy as you like. The heat comes from cayenne pepper. For me, a little goes a long way. But if your bottle of cayenne has been sitting around a while, it may have lost some of it’s kick. The moral of the story is to take a tiny taste before adding it to your salad. You can always add more, but you can’t take it out!

You can make this dish ahead of time and refrigerate it until you’re ready to serve it. In my opinion, it tastes even better the next day!

I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you make it, be sure to let me know!

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5 from 5 votes