Simple Summer Salad Niçoise
To complement the flavors of the salad, try serving it with a medium-bodied white wine with a touch of fruitiness, like a Cotes du Rhone. Or try Santa Carolina Pinot Noir, Chile for a red option.
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Salad Niçoise is one of the tastiest ways to get more tuna into your diet, and in this quick, simplified version, Chef Jeannette substitutes canned white beans for typical white potatoes. Just that one substitution has two advantages: One, it adds extra fiber (remember, beans are one of the highest fiber foods you can eat). And two—it saves cooking time since the beans are ready to go!
Using canned tuna saves you the time and money of preparing a tuna steak. This classic Salad Niçoise can come together anytime—and quickly—from just your shelf-stable staples!
—Dr. Jonny
Notes from the Clean Food Coach
Although skipjack contains some of the lowest levels of mercury among tunas, contamination is still a concern. Dr. Jonny and many other health professionals recommend Vital Choice, the most reliable and “clean” tuna that we know of. It’s shipped right to your door, and though marginally more expensive than “grocery store” brands, it’s worth every penny. No time to make the dressing for this simple Salad Niçoise from scratch? Try Newman’s Own Organic Italian Dressing.
For more about the amazing health benefits of tuna, see Tuna for Weight Loss, Energy, & More!
Simple Summer Salad Niçoise recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups frozen cut green beans (or fresh, steamed)
- ½ red onion, very thinly sliced
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 Tbs. champagne or white wine vinegar
- 1 Tbs. lemon juice
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp. lemon zest
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. fresh ground pepper
- 1½ Tbs. capers, drained, or to taste
- 2 6-oz. cans skipjack or light tuna packed in extra virgin olive oil (we like Vital Choice Wild Skipjack), well drained
- 1 15-oz. can white beans, drained and rinsed
- 14-oz. can quartered artichoke hearts in water, drained
- 6.5-oz. bag butter lettuce
- 1 cup niçoise or kalamata olives, pitted and drained
- 1 pint heirloom cherry or teardrop tomatoes
Preparation
- Steam frozen beans in microwave in tempered glass container with vented rubber lid 2–3 minutes, or until tender crisp (or steam on stovetop as directed on package). Set aside to cool. Submerge onion slices in bowl of cold water.
- In separate bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, zest, salt, and pepper. Stir in capers, pour half of dressing into a cup, and set aside. Add tuna, beans, and artichoke hearts to bowl with dressing, and gently stir to evenly combine and coat.
- Drain onions and pat dry. Add lettuce to large salad bowl, then add olives, tomatoes, onions, and green beans. Spoon tuna mixture over top, and pour reserved dressing evenly over salad.
Nutrition Information
- Calories 480
- Carbohydrate Content 46 g
- Cholesterol Content 45 mg
- Fat Content 19 g
- Fiber Content 11 g
- Protein Content 37 g
- Saturated Fat Content 2.5 g
- Sodium Content 1740 mg
- Sugar Content 5 g