As I promised, here’s another salad for the remaining summer, and it works even into fall. A salad can be a whole meal when it’s packed with protein; this Tuna and White Bean salad has a lot more than going on than just lettuce!
This salad needs large chunks of tuna, so I use either Toninno YellowFin Tuna or El Manar Wild Caught Tuna. Both are imported from Italy and come in cute little glass jars, and I get it packed in olive oil, not water. This seems to keep the best flavor, to me any way, and it seems more moist than canned tuna.. It’s somewhat more expensive than the grocery store tins of tuna, but is packed in big chunks, so large they need to be broken up with a fork. For this salad, most of the oil is drained off – I left just a little in the jar before I pulled out the tuna.
And then there’s the canned white beans/ cannellini beans. Used whatever beans you prefer. Dump out the beans into a strainer and rinse well. The tuna and beans get mixed together with a little salt and pepper to taste. That’s it. The dressing comes later.
I think next time I would dice up some celery and add it to the beans and tuna for some extra crunch.
The tuna and beans are spooned onto a bed of lettuce – I used red and green. Escarole would be fine, or a Frisée lettuce, or even baby mixed greens; maybe even radicchio if you like the bitterness of it as a contrast. Don’t try it on just plain iceberg lettuce. Or maybe mix into a chopped salad instead of on a bed of greens. I put it just on the bed of greens, then a light dressing – a lemony vinaigrette flavored with basil, spooned over the top of the whole salad. Let each person use as little or as much as they like.
The vinaigrette is basically olive oil, lemon juice and zest, and basil. I used refrigerated basil paste, but lots of fresh basil finely chopped would be perfect too. If you don’t have basil and want a substitute, maybe try a pesto or lot’s of fresh dill. It seems like those flavors would work as well. Top with some fresh basil julienne or to be fancy, an edible flower like a nasturtium. So pretty! Or large shavings of some Parmesan would be great.
This will make a light lunch for 4 people, or a dinner salad for a table of 6 – 8. Each person needs at least a cup of greens for a meal.
Tuna and Cannellini Bean Salad
a protein packed salad that can be a meal, or a dinner salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 2 jars oil packed yellow fin Tuna
- 2 cans white beans (cannellini beans)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 cups mixed lettuce of your choice
Vinaigrette
- 1 lemon
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp basil paste, or minced fresh basil (pesto can be substituted)
Instructions
Salad
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Drain most of the oil from the tuna, and pull out of the jar. Flake with a fork.
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Drain and rinse the cannellini beans and drain.
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Mix the tuna and beans together.
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Arrange the lettuce on a plate, then scoop the beans and tuna over it.
Dressing
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Zest the lemon, then juice. You should have 2.5-3 tbsp of lemon juice. Put in a small bowl.
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Add the mustard, salt and pepper to taste, and the basil.
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Drizzle in the olive oil, whisking to combine. If the dressing sits for any length of time, whisk again before using as it will separate slightly.
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Drizzle the vinaigrette over the tuna and lettuce.
Recipe Notes
If you need additional vinaigrette, just keep the ration of 1:2 for the lemon juice and olive oil.
Can be doubled.
