Sometimes a good salad is just the ticket to satisfy your craving. And this Tuna, Escarole and Chickpea Salad with Warm Herb-Garlic Vinaigrette is hearty enough to stand alone for dinner. Good-quality tuna is the fabulous secret weapon for this easy but satisfying meal. Its silky texture and slightly briny flavor makes this salad feel substantial.

As far as my personal adjustments, I used one 10.5 ounce jar of oil-packed tuna that provided exactly 1/2 cup of oil for the dressing; the can of chickpeas was 19-ounce as opposed to 15-ounce; and I introduced some kalamata olives for a salty bite.

Olives (a fruit rather than a vegetable) are one of those foods that you either love, or you hate—and we happen to love them! Even though they are small, they’re loaded with tons of powerful antioxidants and vitamins which give them the power to possibly prevent cancer, improve heart health, and protect us from chronic diseases and conditions like osteoporosis. What’s not to like about that?!

Ingredients

• 10.5-oz. jar good-quality tuna in oil
• Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
• 2 Tbs. minced shallot
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
• 2 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary
• Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 small head escarole, trimmed, cleaned, and cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 19-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced lengthwise
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano, shaved with a vegetable peeler (a heaping 1/3 cup)

Directions

1. Strain the oil from the tuna into a 1 cup measure. Add oil, if necessary, for a total of 1/2 cup. In a medium bowl, flake the tuna into large pieces and set aside.
2. In a 1-quart saucepan, heat the oil and shallot over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat, and whisk in the lemon juice, parsley, rosemary, and pepper flakes.
4. In a large bowl, toss the escarole, chickpeas, olives and onion with enough of the warm vinaigrette to coat the greens well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
   
5. Divide the salad among four dinner plates and top each with a quarter of the tuna. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the tuna, top with the cheese, and serve.
   

Adapted from a recipe by Abby Simchak Donovan from Fine Cooking