In the cold months, we tend to consume a lot of legumes, especially in soups, but in the summer months, we rarely bring them to the table. Yet there are many fresh and summer recipes to prepare with legumes, like this tasty chickpea salad with tuna that I propose today. It’s one of my favorites, and it’s excellent both as a side dish and as a main course, perhaps to take and enjoy at the beach.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: No Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer
Ingredients
- 20 oz cooked, boiled chickpeas
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes (or other variety)
- 5.6 oz canned tuna in oil
- 4 leaves basil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- salt
Steps
Making chickpea salad is very easy. First, you need to get pre-cooked chickpeas, so either cook them yourself as I did, or buy canned ones and follow any instructions before using them for the salad.
Place the cooked and drained chickpeas in a large bowl. Wash the cherry tomatoes, or another variety of your choice, then cut them into pieces and add them to the bowl with the chickpeas. Drain the tuna in oil, chop it, and add it to the bowl, along with a few torn basil leaves.
Season with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and balsamic vinegar. Give it a good stir and let it rest for at least half an hour before consuming.
Advice and Storage
If you like, you can add some arugula or lamb’s lettuce to the salad. I usually add it, but this time I didn’t have it in the fridge. Adding a few thinly sliced rings of red onion from Tropea isn’t bad either. In short, I’ve given you a recipe where you can get creative with various combinations.
The chickpea salad keeps in the fridge, covered, for 2 days.
