Give a warm welcome to the most divine weekday lunch! This dream recipe came to be when I was hangry but not ambitious enough to say, use the oven or take time to cook anything. I had a bunch of tuna leftover from a big pack I snagged at Costco. I remembered my famous Healthy Tuna Salad and Chickpea Tuna Salad with Italian flavors and thought, why not make another version with what I have on hand? Duh. This baby is going into the regular rotation for sure. Step aside, eggs and avocado toast! You’re so 2021.
The low down on ingredients
Chickpeas: The hearty base of this salad packed with fiber. I always use canned but you could also use equal amounts of cooked from dried chickpeas. Tuna: My favorite is pole and line caught albacore tuna in water. I buy big packs at Costco! I tested this with both water and oil packed and I prefer water-packed. Bell pepper: For color and crunch. Yellow or orange would be great. You could substitute chopped celery or carrot instead. A must in my Mediterranean Chickpea Salad, too! Onion: A little onion helps add crisp texture and that much needed zing. Lemon juice: This salad is so bright thanks to fresh lemon juice. The more the merrier, in my opinion. Tahini: Creamy dreamy tahini for epic flavor and satiety factor! Extra virgin olive oil: Extra richness pulls the dressing together. Dill: A pinch of dill adds amazing fresh flavor. You can omit it if you don’t have it on hand. Fresh dill or parsley would be stellar, too. Garlic Powder: Garlic always, am I right? A clove of fresh grated garlic would be great here. Salt and Pepper: Seasoning is a must!
Let’s make it!
For real, this lettuce-less salad could not be easier.
Serve it like this
I like to go ham with a fork here, but it you can have fun with this one!
as a sandwich between toasted sourdough bread, a whole grain english muffin, or pita with lettuce and extra tahini as a salad over chopped romaine or arugula with crackers and sliced cucumbers for dipping. Deeeelish!
Got leftovers?
Store any leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. You can add a squeeze of lemon to brighten the flavors on the last day if need be!
1-15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed 1 can tuna (5 and 7oz both work), drained 1 red bell pepper, chopped ⅓ cup diced onion
For the dressing:
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice 2 tbsp tahini 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil ½ tsp dried dill ½ tsp garlic powder ½ tsp fine sea salt + lots of freshly ground black pepper
