Italian Tuna and White Bean Salad
No mayo was invited, and nobody missed it.
- Time
- 10 MIN
- Serves
- 4 (ONE WHOLE CAN OF BEANS)
- Skill
- PARING KNIFE
- Tools
- KNIFE, BOARD, BOWL
- Heat
- Warm
- Protein
- Bring your own
The Italian way with canned tuna: olive oil, vinegar, creamy white beans, sharp shallot and a lot of parsley. Buy tuna packed in olive oil and use some of that oil in the dressing; it is already seasoned by the fish. This is pantry food that tastes like a vacation.
The lineup
- 2 cans (5 oz each) tuna in olive oil
- 1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 shallot, sliced thin
- 1 celery rib, sliced thin
- 1 large handful fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper
The chop
- Drain the tuna over the bowl so about 2 tbsp of its oil lands in the bottom.
- Whisk the vinegar, lemon juice and pepper flakes into the oil.
- Add the beans, shallot, celery and parsley. Toss until coated.
- Add the tuna in large flakes and fold gently so it stays chunky.
- Taste, then add salt and pepper until it tastes right to you.
The extras
Dodge the Carbs
Beans carry carbs, so this one is lighter, not low. For truly low, swap the beans for 2 diced Persian cucumbers.
Future You
Keeps 3 days in the fridge and improves overnight as the beans soak up the dressing.
Show Off
Add a handful of halved cherry tomatoes and a few torn basil leaves.
Flavor Bomb
Add 2 tbsp of chopped giardiniera or pickled tomatoes, swap one can of tuna for a tin of sardines, or spoon Italian Salsa Verde over the top.
Heat Dial
Mild: leave out the pepper flakes. Warm: as written. Hot: 1 tsp of Calabrian chili paste in the dressing.
