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What's better than a nutritious lunch that's ready in under 10 minutes? Nothing! This Mediterranean Chickpea Tuna Salad is filled with vegetables like tomatoes, cucumber and onion and drizzled with a simple lemon dressing, making it an easy, stress-free lunch recipe.
If you're looking for a quick lunch recipe, this is it! Plus, this salad might just be my new favorite lunch recipe. It's made with pantry staples like chickpeas and tuna, but then also loaded with vegetables like tomato, onion and cucumber.
Truthfully, I think tuna is delicious in all forms. But, this chickpea salad is a lightened up way to enjoy it rather than in pasta or covered in mayonnaise (both of which are still good, of course).
Why this recipe is so good
- It's one of those recipes where you throw everything into a bowl, mix it together and you're good to go!
- Though it features summer produce like tomatoes and parsley, it can easily be eaten year-round
- The tuna and chickpeas add plenty of protein to this dish, making it a great Mediterranean diet-friendly recipe
Ingredient Notes:
Here's what you need in order to make this easy salad:
Chickpeas: I love chickpeas so much, mostly because they're loaded with protein and incredibly versatile. Chickpeas on their own have a fairly neutral flavor, so they pair perfectly with the tuna and the flavors of the other ingredients in this recipe.
Tuna: If you found this recipe online and decided to take a look, I'm going to assume you're as big of a tuna fan as I am. I used wild caught albacore tuna because that's what I had in my pantry, but you can use whatever kind of tuna you'd like (going to try skipjack next time!).
Vegetables: ...specifically tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, and parsley.
Feta cheese: Feta is kind of the "cherry on top" of this dish. It's not absolutely necessary, but it does add extra flavor. Plus, who doesn't love a sprinkle of cheese?!
Olive oil+lemon juice: The cool thing about this salad is that it's already pretty flavorful, so you don't need to use a "fancy" salad dressing. In addition, I wanted to keep this salad light, so using olive oil and lemon juice as the dressing works out perfectly rather than using a heavier dressing. Plus, olive oil is kind of a "must" in any Mediterranean recipe.
Step-by-step instructions
1. Rinse the chickpeas: Pour the chickpeas into a strainer, then run water over them for at least 10 seconds to remove the liquid that was on them from the can.
2. Drain the tuna: Peel open the can of tuna, then pour out any liquid that was inside.
3. Chop the vegetables: This is the part that takes the longest, and even still, it shouldn't take more than 5 minutes.
4. Make the "dressing": Whisk lemon juice and olive oil together, which creates a light dressing that you can pour over top of the salad.
FAQs and Tips
Why is this called a "Mediterranean" salad?
Simply put, it features flavors of the Mediterranean, like olive oil, parsley, tomato, and feta cheese.
Can I use different ingredients?
Of course! The good thing about salads like this is that they're easy to customize to your liking. I wouldn't sub the chickpeas or tuna, but you could try including olives, artichokes, avocado and/or red bell pepper (or even roasted red peppers!) instead.
More tasty Mediterranean-style recipes
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Mediterranean Chickpea Tuna Salad
Ingredients
- 1 can* chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 can* albacore or skipjack tuna liquid drained
- 1 cup grape tomatoes sliced
- 1/3 cup cucumber sliced
- 2 tbsp red onion sliced or diced
- 2 tbsp feta cheese
- 1 tsp fresh parsley chopped
- 3 tbsp lemon juice or more to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into a bowl and toss to combine. Adjust lemon juice, salt and pepper as needed.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
