Romaine Parmesan Salad with Crispy Garbanzo Bean Croutons

I usually do not serve salads as a side dish when I make meals. I like to have salads for lunch most days and enjoy cooking side dishes instead of throwing a salad together for dinner.

I am very happy that I chose this salad to serve as a side dish last night alongside spaghetti with butternut leek parmesan sauce. It went perfectly with the spaghetti dish and was a huge hit with my roommates.

You could serve this salad with caesar dressing, but I chose to make a basic lemon herb vinaigrette to serve with it. I am not a huge fan of creamy salad dressings, and the one I made was delicious! There was not a teaspoon of dressing or a bite of salad left at the end of the meal.

Romaine Parmesan Salad with Crispy Garbanzo Bean Croutons:

(original recipe from: http://www.mountainmamacooks.com)

1 bag chopped romaine lettuce

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shaved

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed

1 teaspoon olive oil

pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 375°.
2. Lay the garbanzo beans on a paper towel and take off the outer layer of skin on the beans.
3. Place the beans on a baking sheet and coat with black pepper and olive oil.
4. Bake for 35-40 minutes.
5. Assemble the romaine, parmesan and garbanzo beans in a bowl and top with the dressing recipe below.

Lemon Herb Vinaigrette:

juice of 2 lemons

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Whisk all of the ingredients in a small bowl and serve.