Chickpea Tuna Salad

This Chickpea Tuna Salad with homemade lemon dressing is a great dish that you can serve for picnics, barbecue parties, brunch or a simple lunch. It is also perfect for a quick and easy meal prep. Packed with protein and good-for you fats, it is healthy and filling. Ready in 30 minutes and can be made ahead.

Last month marked our first anniversary of moving to Vermont. Sadly, in one shirt year I gained more weight than I would like to share here. As we are coming to the end of this very brutal winter, we slowly started getting our spring clothing out of the back of the closet. I am excited about feeling warm again, but at the same time I am a little worried about the fact that some of those clothes will not fit as they used to.

For that reason, this week I started working out again and having 3 proper meals. I think looking back, the 2 big mistakes that I made were to (1) stop going to the gym and (2) have a proper lunch every day. The truth is, I got lazy and skipped lunch. I don’t know about you, but when I skip lunch I feel so hungry by dinner time that I can’t control my portions.

As of this week, along with the regular gym visits I started making quick lunches for myself. Surprisingly, even though it has just been a few days I feel much better. This Chickpea Tuna Salad is one of those dishes.

While I think this salad is a great lunch you can take to work, it also qualifies as a great summer salad for picnics, barbecue parties, potlucks, and/or brunches. I personally love the fact that it comes together rather quick and can be made in advance. Plus, since tuna is a great source of protein and packed with healthy Omega-3 acids, it is good for you as well.

How To Make Chickpea Tuna Salad:

The process of making this salad has two folds. First, you make the dressing by mixing olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, shallots (red onion can be substituted) with salt and pepper. I mix everything in a small jar and shake it well so that it will all be incorporated. You can make it a few days ahead. I usually keep a jar of this in my fridge and use it for most of my salads. A great example is this Grilled Shrimp and Corn Salad.

Second, you chop the vegetables in a bowl and mix them with canned (and drained) tuna and chickpeas. Since I am a big fan of tangy flavors of pickles, I added a few of them in. I also added a hard boiled egg in it at the last minute to make it even more filling and protein rich.

Can I make this Chickpea Tuna Salad ahead?

Yes, you can. If you decide to do so, I recommend prepping vegetables and dressing separately and assembling the salad an hour before serving.

What do I do with the leftovers?

As long as it is kept in an airtight container in the fridge , you can serve this chickpea tuna salad up to two (or even three) days.

A Few Notes on The Recipe:

• If you want to take this salad to the next level, be sure to add a splash of pickle juice from the jar into the dressing. I learned this from America’s Test Kitchen years ago and now every time I use pickles in my salads I make sure to incorporate some of the juices into the dressing.
• This Chickpea Tuna Salad recipe multiplies well. If you are making it for a larger crowd, feel free to double it.
• This recipe is such a forgiving recipe in that you can easily substitute arugula with salad greens, shallots with red onion, pickles with capers. If you want, you can also add in some other vegetables like chopped fresh celery, avocado, and artichoke hearts.
• Feel free to use this recipe as a place to start or even an inspiration to create your own version with whatever you have in your pantry.

Chickpea Tuna Salad

This Chickpea Tuna Salad with homemade lemon dressing is a great dish that you can serve for picnics, barbecue parties, brunch or a simple lunch. It is also perfect for a quick and easy meal prep. Packed with protein and good-for you fats, it is healthy and filling.

• Author: Aysegul Sanford
• Prep Time: 15 min
• Total Time: 15 min
• Yield: 4 servings
• Category: Salad
• Method: Cooking
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

For the Dressing:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 shallot, chopped (or ¼ cup chopped red onion)
• 2 cloves of garlic (if you like garlic feel free to use more)
• Juice of a lemon
• 2 tablespoons pickle juice
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

For The Salad:

• 1 can (15 oz.) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 cans (5 oz.) chunk light tuna (or any that you like), drained
• ¾ cup cherry tomatoes, sliced thinly
• ½ cup pickles, sliced (6-7 pickles)
• 1 cucumber, cut into small cubes
• ½ cup Kalamata olives, sliced (or any other olives you like)
• 4 radishes, sliced or cut into small cubes
• 1 ½ cups arugula, rinsed (any other salad greens or sprouts would work)

Instructions

1. To make the dressing: Place olive oil, shallot, garlic, lemon and pickle juice, salt and pepper in a small jar. Put the lid on and give it a good shake. Set aside. The dressing can be made 2 days in advance, placed in a jar with a tight lid, and kept in the fridge.
2. To assemble the salad: Put chickpeas, tuna, tomatoes, pickles, cucumber, olives, radishes, and arugula in a salad bowl.
3. Drizzle with the dressing. Give it a gentle toss. Taste for seasoning and serve.

Notes

Please read the blog post for instructions on making ahead and storing leftovers.

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