The No-Cook, 20-Minute Meal I Make At Least Once a Week

Mediterranean food is my favorite cuisine. It stems from memories of gloriously long afternoons spent gossiping about the latest high school drama over huge Greek salads and pitas. 

As soon as I was old enough to drive, I was heading to “the Greek place” every weekend with my three closest friends. We’d spend hours talking, giggling, and devouring salads. We’d douse our salads with extra red wine vinegar, which they kept in small bottles on the table, until our lips turned pink from the acidity. 

I crave these classic Greek flavors often—crisp lettuce, fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, creamy feta cheese, and the bite of red onion. To answer these cravings, I make a simple weeknight meal that takes less than 20 minutes to throw together and doesn’t require any cooking. I fall back on it at least once a week, and I am always deeply satisfied when I do. 

I combine chickpeas with cherry tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, feta, and arugula before mixing in tzatziki and stuffing everything into a pita pocket. With an extra drizzle of red wine vinegar, it takes me right back to “the Greek place.”

Sauce Options

I use store-bought tzatziki to save time, and my favorite is Trader Joe’s Vegan Tzatziki Dip. It’s affordable and so flavorful with bits of cucumber, fresh lemon juice, dill, and garlic. It also happens to be dairy-free. You could use hummus instead of tzatziki; I like to thin it out with a bit of lemon juice or red wine vinegar.

If you prefer more of a vinaigrette, you can make a quick dressing by combining olive oil, Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, and salt and pepper in a jar. Shake, then pour it over the chickpea mixture.

How To Make My Greek-Inspired Pita Pockets

To serve 2 to 3, you’ll need:

• 1 (15.5-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 small red onion, chopped
• 1/4 English cucumber, chopped
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta
• 1 cup arugula, chopped
• 8 ounces store-bought tzatziki
• 2 to 3 pita pockets, sliced in half

In a medium bowl, combine the chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, crumbled feta, arugula, and tzatziki. Stir to combine.

If desired, heat the pita pockets in the microwave or toaster oven for a few minutes until warm. Cut them in half and fill each side with the chickpea mixture. 

Store any leftover filling in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. I’ll often make the filling ahead of time and store it in the fridge until I’m ready to stuff it into the pita pockets. If I’m taking them on the go (and eating on the same day), I’ll fully make the pitas and wrap them in tinfoil. Everything holds up well in the thick pita pockets!

A Riffable Recipe

There are so many ways to customize this recipe based on your preferences and what you have to work with in your fridge. Instead of chickpeas, you could use another bean like cannellini or any pre-cooked protein you may have on hand—rotisserie chicken would be great.

Add vinegary elements like kalamata olives, pepperoncini slices, or capers. Sometimes I’ll add chopped artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes. Any lettuce will work in the place of arugula, and you can freshen things up with herbs like parsley or dill.