This healthy Mediterranean salad can be used as a template for one-bowl dishes by varying seasonal veggies and lean protein. For vegetarian alternatives swap out the tuna for diced tofu, sliced hard-boiled egg or fresh mozzarella cheese. One-bowl salads offer an all-in-one balanced meal and are a casual option for easy entertaining.
MEDITERRANEAN SALAD WITH TUNA, TOMATOES AND CHICKPEAS, serves 4
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- Juice from half a lemon
- 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 5 ounces *skipjack or chunk light tuna, packed in water, drained
- 1 large cucumber, diced
- ½ cup radishes, thinly sliced (optional)
- ½ medium red onion, sliced
- 1.5 pounds tomatoes, sliced
- 1/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives or capers
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt (optional)
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ½ bunch fresh basil leaves, chopped
- 3-ounces mixed baby greens of your choice
*Skipjack (chunk light) tuna is low in mercury compared to albacore (chunk white) tuna
In a large salad bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar and lemon. Add chickpeas, tuna, cucumber, radishes, onion, cherry tomatoes, olives or capers, salt and pepper. Stir to combine and use a fork to flake the tuna. Set aside.
Just before serving, add basil, and mix well. Allow to stand for 15 minutes for flavors to blend and serve over mixed baby greens. Serve with hearty whole-wheat sourdough bread or top with homemade croutons.
Recipe developed by Layne Lieberman, MS, RD, CDN