Quick and easy to make for lunch or as a light dinner, this high-protein Tuscan salad puts Mediterranean flavors front and center with chunks of albacore tuna and white beans tossed with arugula and a simple lemon vinaigrette.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Made this for a second time and love it. I used baby kale this time – otherwise I like it exactly with the ingredients you have listed. Enjoyed it with crusty bread on the side. I will be making this in the future. Thank you!” -Maureen, FoodieCrush reader
This High-Protein Salad Takes Just 5 Minutes to Prep
This easy, all-in-one-meal, tuna white bean 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 melt 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.
Peppery arugula is tossed with flaky white albacore tuna and creamy white beans to form the protein-packed base of the salad, with sweet cherry tomatoes, lemon juice, and briny olives with a drizzle of bright and fruity olive oil and a sprinkling of feta cheese rounding out the Tuscan flavors.
Enjoy!
The Ingredients You’ll Need
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Canned tuna — 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.
- Leafy greens — Fresh arugula creates the fresh, leafy base for this salad and provides plenty of nutrients, but you can always choose spinach, kale, or even red-leaf lettuce instead.
- White beans — Great Northern white beans, white navy beans, or Italian cannellini beans are easily interchangeable here. Or if you prefer, garbanzo beans are protein-packed and fit the Mediterranean flavor profile, too. I like to make my own cannelini beans using dried beans whenever possible, but canned beans are great in a pinch (just drain and rinse them well!).
- Tomatoes — I prefer cherry tomatoes, which are sweet and juicy year-round, but if you’ve got another variety growing in your garden this summer then feel free to use those.
- Red onion — Red onion adds a touch of color and a little heat to this simple salad. I slice it very thinly in rings for a little visual variety.
- Olives — I used green olives, but pitted kalamata or plain old black olives would work equally well.
- Feta cheese — For maximum flavor and creaminess, buy a block of feta and crumble it yourself. You can sub the feta with freshly grated Parm if you have that on hand.
- Olive oil + lemon — A glug of oil and a squeeze of lemon is all the dressing you need to brighten up this salad.
How to Make Tuscan White Bean Salad
- Toss to combine. Add the arugula, white beans, tuna, tomatoes, olives, and red onion in a large bowl and toss.
- Add the dressing. Drizzle with olive oil and squeeze some lemon juice on top.
- Top with feta. Don’t forget to add a crack or two of black pepper and some flaky salt. Yes, even salads need to be seasoned!
Other Mix-Ins I Love
You can mix and match more Mediterranean or Tuscan ingredients into your salad as well! Get creative by adding one or more of the following:
- artichoke hearts
- sun-dried tomatoes
- pickled green beans
- capers
- roasted red peppers
- marinated olives
- cucumber
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Tuscan Tuna and White Bean Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups arugula (or spinach or other favorite lettuce)
- 15 ounces cannellini beans , rinsed and drained (or Great Northern beans)
- 5 ounces white albacore tuna packed in water , drained
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes , halved
- ¼ cup sliced olives (green, Kalamata, or your favorite variety)
- red onion , thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil*
- ½ lemon
- ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste
Instructions
- Assemble the salad. In a large bowl or two smaller bowls, combine the arugula, white beans, tuna, tomatoes, olives and and red onion.
- Add dressing. Drizzle with the olive oil and the juice from the lemon. Toss to combine.
- Garnish and serve. Top with crumbled feta cheese and season to taste with kosher salt and black pepper.
Notes
Nutrition
More High-Protein Lunch Salads
We send good emails. Subscribe to FoodieCrush and have each post plus exclusive content only for our subscribers delivered straight to your e-mail box.
Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest for more FoodieCrush inspiration.
As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. There may be affiliate links in this post of which I receive a small commission. All opinions are always my own.
Denise
Great meal salad to make with pantry items on hand when you don’t want to have to cook a protein. I made this with spinach instead of arugula and it was satisfying and healthy!
Yum Denise! Spinach is a great substitution for the arugula. Kale would be tasty too.
Tiffany A
Such a delicious meal! I didn’t have olives, so I used the peperoncini instead and it complimented it as well. Such a simple and tasty dish…will put it on my lunch rotation!
Hayley
We’re so glad you enjoyed this, Tiffany—thanks for giving it a try! :)
Karen Degen
Such an fun salad to eat…not boring. Love it! Added boiled egg too! Thx
Great to hear Karen! Thanks for the comment and 5 star rating.
Lisa Peterson
I made this for lunch on a hot summer day, and it really hit the spot. My husband and I love olives, so I used both kalamata and pimento stuffed green. It made a very pretty salad. It filled us up and the high protein kept us going all day without feeling heavy. I will definitely make it again.
I’m glad you both enjoyed, Lisa!
Gail
As Angela asked, I would also like to know what a “fruity olive oil” would be. A brand name?
Hayley
Hi Gail! This one is a favorite: https://farmtopeople.com/product/zoe-extra-virgin-olive-oil-1753 but you can always read the flavor note descriptions on the bottles (there are fruity olive oils at lower price points as well). Hope this helps!
James
Do you cook the beans first?
Hayley
Hi James! We used canned beans, so they’re already cooked. Hope you enjoy!
Kimberly
I wish my brain worked overtime like yours. Anyway, thank you for the gift of THIS salad. I used spinach because that was what I had on hand. My guy LOVED this, and it’s the first time he’d ever tried albacore. Just wonderful, and the leftovers (it’s just the 2 of us) the day after were divine.
Karen
This was very good! Only change: I used homemade vinaigrette since I had it.
Sounds great Karen! Glad you enjoyed :)
Maureen
Made this for a second time and love it. I used baby kale this time – otherwise I like it exactly with the ingredients you have listed. Enjoyed it with crusty bread on the side. I will be making this in the future. Thank you!
So glad you liked it Maureen, and baby kale is a great sub!
Sam Saha
Looks So Tasty And Delicious
Angela V
This looks delish!! What do you mean by a “fruity” olive oil? Any examples?
Thanks!!
missy
looks amazing! I’m not an olive-loveer, but everything else looks perfect. i need a go-to list of high-protein salads like this for lunch after the gym. we’ve also started grilling salmon, which would probably elevate this even more. thanks!
Jaimie
Sounds delicious!!! What’s a good fruity olive oil that you would recommend?
Cecile
It sure seems your brain WAS working overtime while you were sleeping – this salad looks great!
Ha! Exactly Cecile! I think I need to start listening to my subconscious more often :) So good to see a comment from you again #hearts
Shohag
I love food very much. But maximum delicious food are unhealthy. If this food is healthy then we have to try it! The team at Jade Mountain Resort St Lucia love it and we have shared this internally. Look forward to more posts from you guys.