White Bean And Tuna Salad with Cabbage

Can you believe it’s summer already? Even out here in Alaska it is hot, which means that a fast, no-cook meal is greatly appreciated. I know most of us don’t want to turn on the stove when it’s hot inside and out, but we still deserve to treat ourselves to healthy meals. This White Bean and Tuna Salad with Cabbage fills that mission fast and with tons of flavor.

Mix Farmers Market Ingredients with Pantry Goods for Flavorful Meals

Even though half the ingredients in this recipe are canned, and there’s no heat involved, this salad is incredibly flavorful and fresh. Adding acid and texture are the best ways elevate pantry ingredients. These elements provide balance to salty, mushy food, generally speaking. Freshly squeezed lemon juice and crunchy cabbage go a long way in transforming the beans and tuna into something special. 

Sourcing the fresh ingredients from the farmers market and supplementing those with pantry goods is also a great way to save money in your grocery budget. Beans and tuna are cheap, so you can reallocate those dollars to better quality produce.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Red Cabbage

Red cabbage provides the crunch factor for this white bean salad. Canned beans have no bite to them, so the texture from the cabbage is important to the balance of the salad. 

Here’s a link to my guide on the different types of cabbage. Any cabbage with tightly packed leaves will work here, as the color is not super important to the aesthetics of the salad. In my case, the red cabbage was cheaper than green, so that’s what I went with for this salad. 

Cannellini Beans

I always have a can or two of cannellini beans in my pantry. You might see them sold as “white kidney beans,” but they don’t taste like kidney beans. Cannellini beans are creamy and mild, so e

Any white bean will work in this recipe; use whatever you have in your pantry. I’ve made this salad with Great Northern Beans and Navy Beans and the results have been just as tasty.

Oil-Packed Tuna

Canned tuna has a bad reputation, but it’s a solid protein and a great pantry staple. The key is to get oil-packed tuna, not tuna canned in water. Oil-packed tuna has more flavor than water packed tuna, and since we are not cooking anything, more flavor off the bat is important. It’s also higher in Omega-3 fatty acids than water packed tuna. 

Avoid tuna packed in soybean oil or vegetable oil; olive oil or avocado oil are healthier oils for consumption. 

Tips and Tricks

Don’t drain too much oil from the tuna! The olive oil in canned tuna is full of good fats, and provides extra flavor to the dressing. It won’t make the salad taste fishy, I promise.

Serving Suggestions

This is an all-in-one meal; there’s no need to serve anything else alongside this salad. It’s jam packed with vegetables, protein, starch, and healthy fats, so it is a completely balanced meal in and of itself.

What About the Leftovers?

This White Bean and Tuna Salad makes excellent leftovers. There’s nothing in this salad that gets soggy or acquires an off-putting texture if it sits in the refrigerator. So make a double batch and pack it up into individual portions: you’ll have all your lunches ready to go for a while. This is going to be one of my go-tos this summer when I’m packing meals up for my husband to take on his work trips.

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White Bean And Tuna Salad with Cabbage

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Additional Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

I know most of us don't want to turn on the stove in the summer, but we still deserve to treat ourselves to healthy meals. This White Bean and Tuna Salad with Cabbage fills that mission fast and with tons of flavor.

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Ingredients

• 1 lemon
• 3 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 14.5 oz can Cannellini beans
• 1 cup red cabbage, shredded
• 8 oz marinated artichokes
• 5 oz tuna, oil packed

Instructions

1. Add the zest and juice of one lemon to a large mixing bowl. Add parsley, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and whisk thoroughly to combine.
2. Drain and rinse Cannellini beans and add to the bowl. Add cabbage and marinated artichokes and stir to combine with the dressing.
3. Drain excess oil from the tuna and add to the salad. Stir to combine.
4. Allow salad to marinate in the refrigerator for a minimum of 20 minutes before serving.
5. Salad will last up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
   

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