Tuna and White Bean Salad
Two cans and a lemon turn into a real lunch. The beans soak up the lemony olive oil, and the red onion sits in the dressing while you prep everything else, which takes the edge off its bite, so the whole bowl tastes put together. No stove, one big bowl.
Quick facts
15 min(15 prep, 0 cook)
2 servings
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Contains: Fish
Get it all out
Tick things off as they hit the counter.
- 1 can cannellini beans, 15 oz
- 1 can canned tuna packed in olive oil, 5 oz, with no vegetable broth or soy on the label
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ small red onion, finely chopped
- ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 2 cups baby arugula, to serveoptional
- red pepper flakes, to tasteoptional
For the dressing
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large lemon, for about 3 tbsp juice
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- black pepper, to taste
Let 'em cook
Tap Done as you go. Each step lists what goes in.
- 1
Cut the lemon in half across the middle. Squeeze each half hard over a small bowl until no more juice drips out, then pick out any seeds with a spoon. You should have about 3 tbsp of juice.
- 1 large lemon
- 2
In a large bowl, whisk the 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp of the lemon juice, ½ tsp salt and a few grinds of black pepper with a fork until the oil and lemon look mixed, about 15 seconds. Keep the rest of the lemon juice in the small bowl for the end.
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large lemon
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- black pepper
- 3
Cut the red onion in half from top to root and wrap one half for another day. Peel the other half, lay it flat side down on a cutting board and cut it into thin slices, then cut across the slices into pieces about the size of a pea. Add them to the dressing and stir until every piece is coated. Leave the onion in the dressing while you do the next steps, at least 5 minutes.
- ½ small red onion
- 4
Cut the 1 cup cherry tomatoes in half through the stem end. Pull the parsley leaves off their thick stems, pile them up and chop until the pieces are about the size of a grain of rice, enough to fill ¼ cup.
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 5
Open the can of beans, pour them into a colander and rinse under cold water until the water runs clear and no foam is left. Shake the colander until the beans stop dripping, then add them to the bowl.
- 1 can cannellini beans
- 6
Open the can of tuna. The cut edges of the lid and the can are sharp, so keep your fingers off them. Hold the can over the sink, press a fork on the middle of the lid to keep the tuna in, and tip the can until the oil stops dripping out. Throw the lid away. Add the tuna to the bowl and break it into bite-size flakes with the fork. Add the cherry tomatoes and parsley.
- 1 can canned tuna packed in olive oil
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 7
Fold everything together gently with a large spoon until the beans and tuna are coated in dressing, about 30 seconds, without mashing the beans. Taste and add more salt, pepper or the rest of the lemon juice if it needs it. Serve as is or over the arugula, sprinkled with a pinch of red pepper flakes. Put any leftovers in a covered container in the fridge within 2 hours.
- 1 can cannellini beans
- 1 can canned tuna packed in olive oil
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- black pepper
- 1 large lemon
- 2 cups baby arugula
- red pepper flakes