Photos by Nathalie Krull
Is the classic tuna salad, made with mayonnaise, the only way you know how to make a tuna salad? This Italian tuna and white bean salad is a delicious, fresh, high protein, healthy alternative to it. It’s so simple to make, yet nice enough to serve to guests as part of a lunch or dinner. It’s a great idea for a quick dinner in warmer weather, when you don’t feel like turning on the oven. The quality of the ingredients you use is what makes this dish so good, so make sure to use a tuna packed in olive oil, instead of water. You can definitely taste the difference. Give this rustic meal a try, it is the tuna salad that you didn’t know you have been missing your whole life. Make it. Share it. Love it.
Ingredients:
- 2 cans of yellowfin tuna in olive oil
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
- 2 cans of cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup minced flat leaf Italian parsley
- Juice of ½ a lemon or more if desired
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- Additional olive oil as needed
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh sliced tomatoes and arugula
Place your thinly sliced red onion in a bowl with 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, and a pinch of salt. Mix to coat, and set aside. Doing this will soften the texture and the flavor of the onion. In another bowl, pour out your tuna, and the olive oil in the can, and flake it lightly with a fork, leaving some larger pieces. Stir in the juice of 1/2 a lemon and a sprinkle of salt and pepper to your taste. Add your minced flat leaf parsley, and your marinated red onions to the tuna, and mix again. Drain, and rinse your beans, and add them to the bowl with the tuna, and mix gently trying not to break up the beans. Adjust the salt and pepper, and any additional olive oil to your taste. Serve this salad over a bed of sliced tomatoes, and arugula sprinkled with salt and a drizzle of olive oil. I think the flavor is perfect, but feel free to add any additions like olives, capers, or fresh garlic, or a quick sprinkle of garlic powder. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. It’s great to have in the fridge for a quick lunch or snack.
This dish is super satisfying and ideal for those times when you need to put together a meal as quickly as possible. I hope you and your family enjoy it as much as mine does. Wishing you good health, and good luck on all of your cooking adventures.
