This healthy White Bean Salad with Tuna is incredibly fresh and zesty, with a satisfying boost of protein and fiber. You’ll love the vibrant flavors in the homemade basil-shallot dressing!
The Freshest, Healthiest Tuna Salad!
Move over, basic tuna salad – there’s a new kid in town! This white bean salad with tuna is an elevated version that will have you craving more. It’s packed with vibrant, fresh flavor, while still giving you plenty of filling protein and fiber.
If you are looking to up your salad game, this is the way to go. While it’s super flavorful and elegant, it’s also easy to make with basic ingredients like canned beans and canned tuna. Plus, you can use it for meal prep! Say goodbye to that boring sandwich, and take your lunch or dinner to a whole new level.
Why You’ll Love This Healthy White Bean Salad Recipe
There are so many reasons you’ll love this easy, healthy salad! Here are just a few…
- Easy to Make: This dish is so easy to prepare. With just a few simple steps, dinner will be done!
- Balanced Flavors: Fresh vegetables, salty tuna, tangy dressing, and rich egg yolks make this salad a balanced, flavorful meal. Extra brightness from the basil and a savory bite from the shallot really put it over the top!
- Wholesome: White bean salad with tuna is a nutritional powerhouse, giving you plenty of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
- Versatile: It’s also a versatile dish that can be enjoyed on its own, as a filling for sandwiches or wraps, or as part of a larger meal. Yum!
Recipe Ingredients
To make this recipe, you only need a handful of basic ingredients, but when you add them all up – you get a flavor explosion! Fresh basil leaves and shallot really bring out the best here.
- Salt and Pepper
- Green Beans: Fresh green beans, trimmed and halved.
- Shallot: A small shallot, chopped.
- Basil: To measure the basil leaves, lightly pack them into your measuring cup. Don’t crush them or smush them, just push them down a little to get a good measurement.
- Olive Oil
- Red Wine Vinegar: If you don’t have this, you could substitute white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar.
- Lettuce: I love a lightly-textured, leafy lettuce here such as oak leaf lettuce or butter lettuce.
- White Beans: Rinse the beans before adding them to the salad.
- Tuna: Tuna in water, drained. I like albacore tuna, but you can use what you like.
- Boiled Eggs: Peeled and cut in half.
What is a Good White Bean?
So which white beans should you choose for white bean salad with tuna? You can use any kind that you like. Cannellini beans are a great choice – their creamy texture and mild flavor go really well with tuna. Great Northern beans are another excellent option, with a slightly nutty flavor and a tender yet firm texture. Navy beans have a delicate flavor and soft texture. Any of these would be great!
What Is the Best Canned Tuna for Tuna Salad?
When you choose canned tuna for your salad, go for high-quality tuna to make the most of your dish, flavor-wise and texture-wise. Albacore tuna, often labeled as “solid white tuna,” is a popular choice because it has a firm, meaty texture and a mild taste. Skipjack tuna, commonly labeled as “chunk light tuna,” is another good option. It has a slightly stronger taste and a softer texture. Tuna is usually packed in water or oil, and you can choose whichever you like – I use water-packed tuna because it drains easily and won’t add an oily texture to the salad.
How to Make White Bean Salad with Tuna
While white bean and tuna salad is a gorgeous, restaurant-quality dish, it’s also really easy to put together! And it doesn’t take much time at all. Pro tip: make the boiled eggs ahead of time, so they’ll be cool, peeled, and ready to go when you want to serve.
- Blanch the Green Beans. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once it boils, add a tablespoon of salt, and then add the green beans. Cook them for 3 or 4 minutes, until they’re just tender but still bright green. Drain them and rinse them under cold water.
- Make the Dressing. While the green beans are blanching, puree the shallot, basil, oil, vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
- Dress the Green Beans. Pour half of the dressing to a large bowl, and toss it with the cooled green beans.
- Finish the Dish. Toss in the lettuce, white beans, and tuna. Serve the salad with the rest of the dressing and the boiled eggs.
Helpful Hints
As with most of my salad recipes, this one is easy to customize. Substitute ingredients as needed, using your favorite salad greens, beans, tuna (or salmon!) and more. These extra tips are just a few more ways to make this white bean salad your own.
- Onion for Shallot: If you prefer a milder onion flavor, you can substitute red onion for the shallot.
- Add Nuts: To add some crunch to your salad, just toss in a handful of toasted pine nuts, chopped walnuts, pecan pieces, or whatever you like.
- Extra Veggies: For a touch of sweetness, halved cherry tomatoes (make sure they’re nice and ripe) are great. Sundried tomatoes and roasted red peppers are also great!
- Lemon: For an extra burst of flavor, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice works well in the dressing.
Easy Serving Suggestions
This white bean and tuna salad is delicious on its own, but you can also serve it with all kinds of tasty sides! Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Soup: Soup and salad are a classic combo! Pair this healthy salad with a bowl or cup of Immune Boosting Pumpkin Ginger Coconut Soup for a filling, wholesome meal.
- Tartletes: Serve the salad with these dainty Asparagus Lemon Tartletes for a light, nourishing meal that feels just a little bit luxurious.
- Smoothies: If you want to really create a refreshing meal that’s perfect for summer, just pair your favorite salad with our favorite smoothie! This salad would be just right with a colorful Berry Detox Smoothie.
How to Store White Bean Salad with Tuna
If you have leftovers, you can store the white bean and tuna salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Keep in mind that the lettuce may wilt slightly over time, though, so you really want to finish the salad within a day or so.
If you’re meal prepping, you can store the dressing, veggies, beans, eggs, and separately, and combine them in a lunchbox container each day. This way, the salad will stay good and fresh!
Can I Freeze This?
Unfortunately, this salad is not a great candidate for freezing. Frozen lettuce turns watery and mushy when thawed – not ideal for salads! Additionally, the texture of the beans and tuna may also degrade after freezing and thawing.
White Bean Salad with Tuna
Ingredients
- Kosher Salt
- Ground Black Pepper
- 12 oz. green beans trimmed and halved
- 1 small shallot chopped
- 1 c. lightly packed basil leaves
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 4 c. oak leaf lettuce or butter lettuce torn into bite size pieces
- 1 15- oz. can small white beans rinsed
- 2 5- oz. cans solid white tuna in water drained
- 4 soft- or hard-boiled eggs halved
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt, then green beans, and cook until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool.
- Meanwhile, in a blender, puree shallot, basil, oil, vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper until smooth.
- Transfer half of the dressing to a large bowl and toss with green beans. Toss in lettuce, white beans, and tuna and serve with remaining dressing and eggs.
Notes
- Onion for Shallot: If you prefer a milder onion flavor, you can substitute red onion for the shallot.
- Add Nuts: To add some crunch to your salad, just toss in a handful of toasted pine nuts, chopped walnuts, pecan pieces, or whatever you like.
- Extra Veggies: For a touch of sweetness, halved cherry tomatoes (make sure they’re nice and ripe) are great. Sundried tomatoes and roasted red peppers are also great!
- Lemon: For an extra burst of flavor, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice works well in the dressing.
- Storage: If you have leftovers, you can store the white bean and tuna salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Keep in mind that the lettuce may wilt slightly over time, though, so you really want to finish the salad within a day or so.
- Meal Prep: If you’re meal prepping, you can store the dressing, veggies, beans, eggs, and separately, and combine them in a lunchbox container each day. This way, the salad will stay good and fresh!
