Healthy White Bean Tuna Salad

Name: Healthy White Bean Tuna Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1 large red onion; 1 lemon (zested and juiced plus 1 lemon, cut into wedges); Kosher salt and ground pepper (to taste); 30 oz cannellini or Great Northern white beans (2 (x 15 oz cans), drained and rinsed); 12 oz tuna in olive oil (2 (x 6 oz cans), drained well); 2/3 cup sliced black olives; 2 celery stalks (finely chopped); 1/4 cup parsley (chopped); ½ tsp chili pepper (or crushed red peppers, or to taste)

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This White Bean Tuna Salad is not only healthy and delicious, but it is also easy to make and ready in just 10 minutes. Perfect tuna salad recipe to serve as an appetizer or side dish recipe at a family gathering or potluck.

top view of bean and tuna salad in a clear bowl

You will be enjoying a whole lot of crunch and flavor with this Healthy and delicious white bean tuna salad recipe. It’s super easy to make with only 10 minutes of prep time and no-cook time whatsoever. It is loaded with protein and fiber for a nutritious side dish recipe that makes for a great side dish to take to a potluck. Made with a handful of simple and healthy ingredients and all you need is toss them together into a bowl, mix and serve. Eat as is or serve with some tortilla chips! You would want to make this healthy tuna salad all the time.

Why you will want to make this tuna salad all the time

Super easy: You will need a handful of simple ingredients that you toss together that will just just about 10 minutes to make. Can’t get any easier.
Perfect for meal prepping: If you meal prep, this easy tuna salad recipe is perfect for you. They store well and tastes great cold the next day.
Healthy and nutritious: This tuna salad is packed with nutrition, Lean protein from the tuna and loaded of fiber from the white beans.

side shot of tuna white bean salad in a clear bowl

Ingredients and substitutes

Red onion: You may also use white sweet onions, not the yellow cooking onions. We do prefer using the red/purple onion.
Lemon: Try to use lemons, if you have lime, you may use lime.
Salt and pepper to taste: If you are onle of those that have to measure salt and pepper, start with 1 tsp of saly and 1/4 tsp of pepper. Taste and adjust. You may need to add another 1 tsp of salt.
Beans: The goal here is to use white beans like cannellini or Great Northern white beans. If you have another beans that you perfer using you may switch it out to any other beans.
Tuna: Use good great tune filets in a can packed in olive oil. You may use tuna paked in water but add about 1 tbsp of olive oil to the salad.
Black Olives: Use sliced or whole. If you have whole pitted olives, cut them into smaller pieces.
Celery Stalks: this adds a great taste and crunch
Parsley: Please use fresh parsley and not dried.
Chili pepper flakes: this is to serve and optional.

ingredients to make tuna and white bean salad

How to make this Tuna salad recipe

To make the pickled onion, slice the onion very thinly, and add it to a small bowl.

Squeeze the lemon over the onion and add a pinch of salt and 1 tablespoon of water. Set aside until the rest of the ingredients are ready.

chopped olives, parsley, celery, and onions on a chopping board

To a salad bowl, add the beans, together with the tuna, olives, celery, pickled onion, and freshly chopped parsley. Gently stir to combine.

Serve the salad with lemon wedges and enjoy!

all tuna salad ingredients added to a clear bowl ready to be mixed

Frequently asked questions

What can I add to canned tuna?

There’s so much you can do with canned tuna and the options vary from adding them to salads, making tuna sandwiches, making tuna pasta salads, or even whole meals. Add all sorts of veggies and beans to tuna to make a nutritious tuna salad, serve them with greens or pasta. You can get as creative as you like.

Can you eat tuna straight out of the can?

Yes! Tuna in cans are already cooked and ready to eat. So if you want to eat it right off can go right ahead. Canned tuna comes in very handy when pressed for time and you want to get something ready to eat within minutes.

Is Tuna salad good for losing weight?

It’s really going to depend on what you added to your tuna salad. If you have loaded it up with some mayo then no. Tuna salads made with simple healthy and clean ingredients would make it a perfectly healthy meal option to have when you are trying to eat healthier to lose weight. Tuna is lean, low in fat, and high in protein.

Recipe notes and tips

Use good grade tuna in olive oil. You may use tuna in water but you will need to add a bit of oil to the salad.
We used white beans but you can use any other beans of choice. Don’t like beans? use chickpeas.
Crushed red peppers are optional if you don’t like a bit of spice.
Tip: Chill this salad in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving.
Add more veggies and crunch to this tuna salad if you like. Consider carrots or corn.
Store leftovers in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days.

More easy salad recipes to try

top view of tuna salad on a clear bowl with lemon garnishes

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