Tuna and Bean Salad
This vibrant Tuna and Bean Salad is plated on a bed of baby spinach, boasting fresh, bold flavors and effortless elegance. With its creamy-crisp textures, briny-sweet notes, and a bright, herb-flecked dressing, it transforms simple pantry staples into a truly satisfying and refreshing meal in just minutes!
Ready to eat in 15 minutes or less, this tuna bean salad is a perfect make-ahead option for those busy days. While this nutritious and delicious salad is best enjoyed immediately, the dressing and tuna-bean mixture can be stored separately in the fridge, then tossed together with a fresh squeeze of lemon when you’re ready to serve on a bed of baby spinach for a meal that’s crisp, bright, and so satisfying!
What is tuna and bean salad?
Tuna bean salad is a protein-packed, no-cook meal that combines flaky canned tuna and hearty white beans with a bright, zesty dressing. It’s a refreshing and satisfying dish where briny capers, fresh herbs, and crisp red onion add layers of flavor and texture. Served over a bed of baby spinach, it’s a complete, balanced lunch or light dinner that comes together in minutes from simple pantry staples.
Ingredients needed to make tuna bean salad
For the dressing:
- Fresh lemon juice: Provides a sharp, clean acidity to brighten the dressing. You could use apple cider vinegar instead.
- Garlic: For depth of flavor.
- Dijon mustard: Adds a sharp, tangy, and complex flavor while simultaneously creating a perfectly blended, creamy-textured dressing that doesn’t separate.
- Kosher salt and pepper: The salt enhances all the other flavors and balances the sweetness while the pepper adds a touch of warmth.
- Honey: Rounds out the sharp acidity. You can use granulated sugar instead, if you prefer.
- Olive oil: Creates a rich, emulsified base and balances the acidity in the dressing. A neutral oil like avocado oil can also be used.
For the salad:
- Canned beans: This tuna and bean salad gets a boost of protein from canned white beans. Make sure to drain and rinse the beans well before combining with the rest of the ingredients.
- Tuna: I prefer to use canned tuna in water, not oil, as the dressing will provide enough richness and moisture.
- Capers: Adds a bright, salty, and tangy “briny punch” to this tuna and bean salad.
- Fresh dill: Chopped and mixed into the tuna bean salad for extra freshness. Fresh parsley, basil, mint, or cilantro are great for easily creating a different flavor profile.
- Red onion: Adds a mildly sharp, crisp, and slightly sweet flavor to the salad. You can soak your sliced onion in water for 10-30 minutes to reduce its pungent flavor.
- Kosher salt and pepper: Enhances and balances all of the flavors in the salad mixture.
- Small baby spinach: Provides the crisp bright green base for assembling the salad and is a lovely alternative to lettuce or other leafy greens. Make sure to remove the stems.
- Lemon: Serve your assembled salad with a slice or wedge of lemon.
How do you make tuna bean salad
Make the dressing:
- Add lemon juice, garlic, mustard, salt, honey and pepper to a small bowl and whisk to combine.
- Drizzle in the olive oil and whisk thoroughly.
Prepare the tuna and bean salad:
- Add the tuna bean salad ingredients, except baby spinach, to a large bowl and gently mix together.
Assemble and serve:
- Drizzle the dressing over the tuna bean mixture and mix with a spoon.
- In 4 shallow salad bowls, place 1 ½ cups of baby spinach and top with equal portions of the tuna bean mixture.
- Serve with a small wedge of lemon and enjoy!
Serving
This tuna and bean salad is a healthy and complete meal that you can enjoy with a slice of dill bread or garlic cheese bread. That said, you can also enjoy this refreshing salad as a side to Seared Cod Fillets, fish tacos, kebabs (like Shrimp Sausage Kebabs or Greek Fish Kebabs), lamb, shrimp skewers, or salmon.
For warmer weather entertaining, this refreshing bean salad is great when paired with a spread of other classic salads, such as no-mayo potato salad, Italian Spaghetti Pasta Salad, or a Zesty Quinoa Salad.
Sandy’s tips and substitutions:
- Salad storage: This fresh tuna bean salad can be stored for 3-4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Dressing storage: If you want to make the dressing ahead or make a double batch, store it in a glass jar in the fridge for up to a week. I prefer to keep my homemade dressings in mason jars, but any sealable jar or airtight container will work. Give it a good shake or whisk before using again.
- Make ahead: Both the dressing and the tuna bean mixture can be made 1-2 days in advance and stored separately in the fridge to be assembled on the fresh baby spinach leaves just before serving.
- Double the recipe: Make a double batch of this tuna and bean salad when serving a larger crowd.
- Uniform size matters: Make sure to chop the salad ingredients into uniform pieces so that the salad looks more appealing and to ensure every bite includes a perfect mix of flavors and textures.
- Be gentle when tossing to coat: When tossing the salad with the dressing, be careful that you don’t break up the soft canned beans. You don’t want to end up with a mushy, wet texture from being too heavy-handed. Your salad is also more visually appealing when the beans are intact in the salad.
- Drain well: Always ensure canned beans and tuna are well-drained so the salad doesn’t become watery.
Variations:
- Bean swaps/add-ins: Use another variety of canned white beans in this salad, such as cannellini beans or butter beans.
- Mix-ins: Add chopped hard-boiled eggs, crispy bacon pieces, toasted nuts (slivered almonds, walnuts), seeds (sunflower, pumpkin), crumbled or shredded cheese, diced bell peppers (any color), halved cherry tomatoes, or sweet corn (fresh off the cob or thawed frozen).
- Greek tuna bean salad: Add chickpeas, diced cucumber, Kalamata olives, and parsley.
- Creamy tuna bean salad: Add 2-3 tablespoons of mayonnaise, sour cream, or plain Greek yogurt to the dressing for a richer, creamier coating.
Tuna is a great source of nutritious protein and a budget-friendly option when feeding the family too! If you’re looking for more ways to make meals with tuna, try this Best Tuna Casserole, Tuna Spaghetti Salad, or Spinach Sweet Pickle Tuna Flatbread Melts.
More tuna salad recipes you may want to try:
- Seared Ahi Tuna Nicoise Salad
- Creamy Tuna Pasta Salad
- Tuna Apple Salad
- Marinated Chickpea Tuna Salad
- Zucchini Relish Tuna Salad Dip
Get the Recipe:
Tuna and Bean Salad
Ingredients
Dressing:
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp honey
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 4-5 Tbsp olive oil
Salad:
- 2 15 ounce cans white beans, drained and rinsed
- 12 ounce tuna in water, drained
- 2 tsp capers, drained
- 2 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped
- ⅛ cup red onion, chopped
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- Black pepper, to taste
- 6 cups baby spinach, stems removed
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced for serving
Equipment
Instructions
- Add lemon juice, garlic, mustard, salt, honey and pepper to a small bowl and whisk to combine.
- Drizzle in the olive oil and whisk thoroughly.
- Add the tuna bean salad ingredients, except baby spinach, to a large bowl and gently mix together.
- Drizzle the dressing over the tuna bean mixture and mix with a spoon.
- In 4 shallow salad bowls, place 1 ½ cups of baby spinach and top with equal portions of the tuna bean mixture.
- Serve with a small wedge of lemon and enjoy!
Notes
Sandy’s tips:
- Salad storage: This fresh tuna bean salad can be stored for 3-4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Dressing storage: If you want to make the dressing ahead or make a double batch, store it in a glass jar in the fridge for up to a week. I prefer to keep my homemade dressings in mason jars, but any sealable jar or airtight container will work. Give it a good shake or whisk before using again.
- Make ahead: Both the dressing and the tuna bean mixture can be made 1-2 days in advance and stored separately in the fridge to be assembled on the fresh baby spinach leaves just before serving.
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
