Ahi Tuna Salad with Roasted Chickpeas and Dill Vinaigrette

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Need a healthy salad recipe? If you are working from home, you might have some extra time on your hands to make something other than a pb & j for lunch. Same here. I’ve been having a lot of fun making “sweetgreen” level salads, and this was an easy one I wanted to share: ahi tuna salad with roasted chickpeas and creamy dill vinaigrette.

Where to get ahi tuna

So no, I did not prepare this ahi tuna, I got it prepackaged. I buy mine at Trader Joe’s, and it’s already smoked and ready to go. You don’t need to cook it at all!

This stuff is amazing, and I love that it has the sesame crust. I’d suggest looking for this where you might find smoked salmon (OR, you can use smoked salmon for this salad too – SUPER delicious as well.) We got this ahi tuna specifically because we wanted to try it out, and it did not disappoint.

Roast the spicy chickpeas

If you haven’t roasted chickpeas before, you are missing out! These standalone as an amazing snack, and they add the perfect crunch to this salad.

Be sure to drain your chickpeas before throwing them on the baking sheet. You can also dab them with a paper towel to soak up any additional moisture before drizzling on the olive oil. I spice mine up with plenty of cumin, onion powder, paprika and cayenne pepper. If you are sensitive to spicy things, I’d recommend scaling back on the cayenne. Make sure to toss the chickpeas thoroughly, and you should have plenty of room on the sheet pan to also bake your cubed bread pieces. I like to do this with wheat bread for some fast croutons, which crisp up in 10 minutes or less!

Be sure to check on the chickpeas occasionally. While 20 minutes might be enough time, they could need longer or shorter depending on their moisture. If you decide you want them more crispy than chewy, you may need to roast them a bit longer!

Make the dill vinaigrette

Have you ever noticed how hard it is to spell vinaigrette….just me? I’ve have to re-type it 11 times. I LOVE this salad dressing. The dill tastes really good with the smoked tuna, and I always love to round it out with balsamic and some dijon mustard (the superior of all mustards). And don’t forget a citrus burst of lemon juice.

If you don’t have dill, you can leave it out and combine the rest of the ingredients together, as it still makes a really fresh dijon dressing.

And that’s it! Top the arugula salad with slices of the ahi tuna, avocado, chickpeas and croutons. Add on some shredded gouda (or your favorite cheese) and get drizzling with that sauce!

If you are looking for more salad recipes, try my chicken parm salad with dijon dressing or my steak and arugula salad.

Print Recipe

Ahi Tuna Salad with Roasted Chickpeas and Dill Vinaigrette

A quick and healthy salad for lunch topped with creamy lemon dill dressing and crispy chickpeas.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: dinner, lunch

Cuisine: American

Keyword: ahi tuna, chickpeas, healthy salad, salad

Servings: 4 salads

Calories: 400kcal

Cost: $20

Equipment

• baking sheet
• foil

Ingredients

For the salad

• 4 oz smoked ahi tuna prepackaged
• 2 slices wheat bread cubed
• ¼ cup gouda grated
• 1 15 oz can chickpeas drained
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp onion powder
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp salt
• 4 cups arugula
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 avocado pitted and sliced

For the dressing

• ½ lemon juiced
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 3 tbsp dill roughly chopped

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and fill one side with the chickpeas and the other side wit the cubed bread. Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil onto both sides, and sprinkle the bread with a pinch of salt. Top the chickpeas with paprika, onion powder, cayenne, salt, and cumin and toss to ensure all chickpeas are covered. Space the chickpeas apart so that they aren't on top of each other. Place the sheet in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Then remove the bread croutons from the sheet to a separate plate, and then return the chickpeas to the oven for 15-20 more minutes. The chickpeas should be brown and crispy and can be removed from the oven to cool.
• To make the dressing, mix together the olive oil, dill, dijon mustard, honey and balsamic in a small bowl. Add a pinch of salt if desired.
• Assemble the salad, filling a bowl with a cup of arugula, some croutons, a few slices of smoked ahi tuna, chickpeas, and the sliced avocado. Top with shredded gouda and a drizzle of the lemon dill vinaigrette. Enjoy!