This Healthy Tuna Salad is so filling and flavorful. Crisp vegetables tossed with beans and tuna and a citrusy dressing make this a guilt-free and scrumptious alternative to this classic dish.
This Healthy Tuna Salad isn't like the tuna salads you might be used to. Packed with crisp vegetables, tender beans, and a zesty lemon dressing, this easy recipe is satisfying and delicious. No mayonnaise is used, which makes this salad a lighter version that you can enjoy over and over again. It's full of healthy protein, Omega-3s, fiber, and other vitamins and minerals that make this a great choice for lunch or a light dinner.
For busy weekdays, you can make this Healthy Tuna Salad in advance and dish it up throughout the week. Many of the ingredients are ones you probably already have in your pantry and fridge. Variations to the recipe abound, so you can easily make this with the items you have on hand or with any of your favorites not on this list. Let take a look at what I used to make this tasty tuna salad.
Video Tutorial
Main Ingredients
- Tuna. Albacore tuna fish. Drained.
- Beans. Use your favorite kind, or even chickpeas. Rinsed.
- Cucumbers. Peeled and cubed.
- Tomatoes. Cherry or grape works well, cut into pieces.
- Bell Pepper. Any color you like. Diced.
- Onion. Red, yellow, or white is fine. Diced.
- Parsley. Fresh is best. Chopped.
- Lemon Juice. Adds a zesty flavor.
- Oil. Olive oil or your favorite kind.
- Salt & Pepper. To taste.
How to make it
1. Prepare the ingredients by chopping, cutting, and dicing the vegetables and herbs in this Healthy Tuna Salad. Then rinse and drain the beans, as well as the tuna.
2. Place all of the ingredients into a large mixing bowl, including the lemon juice and oil. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste and then serve.
Tips for the best Healthy Tuna Salad
- Rinse the beans. Doing this helps remove any excess salt and starch in the beans, improving their flavor and texture. It also gets rid of any metallic flavor that might remain if they came from a can.
- Cut the vegetables to a similar size as the other ingredients. Doing this ensures that every bite of this Healthy Tuna Salad includes all the ingredients. It also makes it look more appealing.
- Don't pre-cut the vegetables too soon. Because cut vegetables lose water, cutting them too far in advance can lead to dry, rubbery veggies. So only cut them right before you plan to assemble this salad.
Variations to this Recipe
- Substitute different vegetables. Depending on your preference or what you have on hand, you can use other veggies, like asparagus, carrots, avocado, or celery in this Healthy Tuna Salad.
- Use another dressing. If you prefer, you can use homemade or store-bought mayonnaise, or another salad dressing that you like. However, it may not be as healthy with these heavier options.
- Add pasta or grains. To make this a meal, toss the salad with some cooked pasta, quinoa, couscous, or rice. Using smaller sized pastas would be ideal, like elbow, penne, or orzo.
How to Store and Reheat it
You can store this Healthy Tuna Salad in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-5 days. It may need to be drained before serving as the water from the vegetables will leak out over time.
What to Serve this with
- As is. Just grab a spoon and enjoy this tasty tuna salad on its own.
- In a sandwich. Fill a roll or spread it between two slices of bread. A pita, potato flatbread, or tortilla works, too.
- With chips or crackers. Use this Healthy Tuna Salad as a dip and serve it with your favorite crackers, toasted bread, or chips.
- With pasta. Try it with some Angel Hair Pasta or on top of some penne, spaghetti, or rotini. For a healthier option, add it to Zucchini Noodles with Sun-Dried Tomatoes.
This Healthy Tuna Salad is so delicious and satisfying. It has such diverse flavors and a great mixture of textures that make it hard to put down. I hope you enjoy this tasty dish as much as I do.
More tasty salad recipes to try:
- Roasted Mini Pepper Salad
- Marinated Tomato Salad
- Iceberg Lettuce Salad
- Cucumber Tomato Feta Salad
- Refreshing Chickpea Salad
Healthy Tuna Salad
Ingredients
- 1 can (14.5 oz.) red kidney beans, rinsed or other beans
- 2 cans (5 oz. each can) tuna, liquid drained
- 2 medium cucumbers, peeled and cubed
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut into pieces
- 1 medium bell pepper, diced
- ¼ medium red onion, diced
- ¼ cup parsley, chopped
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. sea salt or to taste
- ¼ tsp. pepper or to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients by chopping, cutting, and dicing the vegetables and herbs in this Healthy Tuna Salad. Then rinse and drain the beans, as well as the tuna.
- Place all of the ingredients into a large mixing bowl, including the lemon juice and oil. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste and then serve.
Notes
Tips for the Best Healthy Tuna Salad
- Rinse the beans. Doing this helps remove any excess salt and starch in the beans, improving their flavor and texture. It also gets rid of any metallic flavor that might remain if they came from a can.
- Cut the vegetables to a similar size as the other ingredients. Doing this ensures that every bite of this Healthy Tuna Salad includes all the ingredients. It also makes it look more appealing.
- Don't pre-cut the vegetables too soon. Because cut vegetables lose water, cutting them too far in advance can lead to dry, rubbery veggies. So only cut them right before you plan to assemble this salad.
Variations to this Recipe
- Substitute different vegetables. Depending on your preference or what you have on hand, you can use other veggies, like asparagus, carrots, avocado, or celery in this Healthy Tuna Salad.
- Use another dressing. If you prefer, you can use homemade or store-bought mayonnaise or another salad dressing that you like. However, it may not be as healthy with these heavier options.
- Add pasta or grains. To make this a meal, toss the salad with some cooked pasta, quinoa, couscous, or rice. Using smaller-sized pastas would be ideal, like elbow, penne, or orzo.
Cynthia says
I am so grateful to find the Healthy Tuna Salad recipe when I had no money to buy food. I simply looked in my pantry storage and found the basic ingredients to prepare the salad.
Thank you for teaching me how to survive.
Tania Sheff says
Haha! Thank you, Cynthia! It means a lot to me!
Amy says
Never in my life would have thought to put half of these ingredients in tuna salad, but oh my goodness!! It is so darn good! I don't even miss the mayo- which I never thought I would ever say! I found this recipe last week and I've already made it twice. I've been scooping it up on crackers and it makes a great lunch! This will be made weekly at my house now! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Tania Sheff says
Thank you, Amy! It means a lot to me!
Ralph says
Where did the gram of trans fat come from?
Carolyn Lewis says
This recipe is delicious, I definitely will make it more often. Thank you.
Tania Sheff says
Thank you so much, Carolyn!
MARINA L. CAMACHO says
HELLO TANIA,
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR your fish skillet recipe. I like that you give detail information about products and recipes . I like your recipes very much and I wish you the best in your future endeavors.
WARM REGARDS
MARINA
Tania Sheff says
Thank you so much for the kind words, Marina! Best wishes to you as well!