Quick and easy to make for lunch or even a light dinner, this healthy salad puts high protein front and center with chunks of albacore tuna and white beans tossed with arugula and more .
It’s not every day that a salad wakes me from a dead sleep. But this morning, this one did. Not because I was hungry—because I wasn’t—but because I sleepily woke to the words, sentences, and phrases for this blog post forming in my head.
Why I didn’t write it all down at that moment instead of rolling over and going back to sleep is a choice I’m regretting now.
But this salad? There’s absolutely nothing to regret about this salad, nothing at all.
How to Make a Healthy, No-Mayo Tuna Salad
This easy, all-in-one-meal, tuna salad is made with simple ingredients and pantry staples to create a lunch that’s totally fresh and filling.
I’ve always been a tuna salad sandwich fan (extra pickles and potato chips please!), but when I’m leaning into my regular work day lunches, salads are most often my thing. And thanks to my well-stocked pantry basics, I always have canned tuna on hand, but don’t need all the mayo to enjoy it.
I use chunk white albacore tuna packed in water that flakes in large chunks rather than skinny bits like you might find in regular old tuna sandwiches. Chunk tuna packed in water is one of my pantry staples, but if you prefer, chunk tuna packed in olive oil is a good option too.
Fresh arugula creates the fresh, leafy base for this salad and provides plenty of nutrients, but you can always choose spinach, kale, or even a red leaf lettuce instead.
Tuna and White Bean Salad
This no mayo tuna salad is dressed with a simple drizzle of olive oil and fresh lemon juice. For my salads, I prefer an olive oil with a fruity instead of grassy taste
Ingredients
- 4 cups arugula spinach, or other favorite lettuce
- 1 15 ounce can cannellini or Great Northern beans rinsed and drained
- 1 5 ounce can white albacore tuna packed in water drained
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/4 cup sliced olives green, Kalamata, or your favorite variety
- Thinly sliced red onion
- 2 tablespoons fruity extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 lemon
- 1 tbsp fresh chopped dill
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl or two smaller bowls, combine the arugula, white beans, tuna, tomatoes, olives and and red onion. Drizzle with the olive oil and the juice from the lemon. Toss to combine. season to taste with kosher salt and black pepper dill enjoy .
