White Bean Tuna Salad

About This Recipe

This Tuscan-inspired salad is a high-protein masterpiece that comes together in minutes — creamy cannellini beans tossed with quality canned tuna, sharp red onion, peppery rocket, and a bright lemon-olive oil dressing. It is a staple of Italian trattorias and a meal-prepper's dream, requiring zero cooking and delivering complete nutrition in every simple, satisfying bite.

Ingredients

Serves 2

• 2 tinscannellini beans (400 g each), drained and rinsed
• 2 tinstuna in olive oil (145 g each), drained
• 0.5 smallred onion, thinly sliced
• 40 grocket (arugula)
• 100 gcherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 tbspextra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tbspred wine vinegar
• 1 tbsplemon juice
• 2 tbspfresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the dressing

   Whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

2. 2

   Combine the salad

   In a large bowl, gently toss the cannellini beans with the drained tuna (keeping some chunks intact), red onion, cherry tomatoes, and parsley.

3. 3

   Dress and serve

   Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently. Serve over a bed of rocket.

4. 4

   Garnish

   Finish with a final drizzle of olive oil, a crack of black pepper, and extra parsley.

Variations

• •

  Add chopped celery and capers for a more complex flavour.

• •

  Use borlotti beans for a nuttier taste and pink colour contrast.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Refrigerate dressed salad up to 2 days. Store undressed components separately for up to 4 days.

Frequently Asked Questions