Mediterranean Tuna Salad

I had a request for more tuna recipes lately, but instead of heavy casseroles, I was in the mood for something lighter and more fresh (I’m soooo ready for Spring). So I made this Mediterranean Tuna Salad, which is sort of a hybrid of two of my other favorite recipes. And guess what? It holds up great in the fridge, so it’s another meal-prep ready salad! 🙌

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“This is so good! Gets better in the fridge after a day and is so healthy and cheap. I always underestimate how good this will be, but it hits the spot for an easy lunch. Thank you!”

Allison

Easy Recipe for Mediterranean Tuna Salad

As I mentioned in the intro, this salad is a hybrid of two of my other favorite recipes: cucumber salad and tuna and white bean salad. The salad starts with a base of fresh vegetables, like cucumber, tomato, red onion, and parsley, then gets a dose of protein from tuna and white beans and is finished off with a tangy homemade vinaigrette and just the right amount of crumbled feta. The combo is absolutely perfect and is the best twist on a classic tuna salad I’ve tried in a LONG time!

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Mediterranean Tuna Salad

4.83 from 34 votes

This simple, fresh, and filling Mediterranean Tuna Salad makes an easy protein-packed make-ahead lunch for your workweek.

Step-by-step photos can be seen below the recipe card.

Author: Beth Moncel

Servings 6 about 1 cup each

Prep 20 minutes mins

Cook 0 minutes mins

Total 20 minutes mins

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Ingredients

Vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup olive oil ($0.88)
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar ($0.20)
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice ($0.06)
• 1 tsp dried oregano ($0.10)
• 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
• 1/4 tsp black pepper (freshly cracked, $0.02)

Salad

• 1 cucumber ($1.29*)
• 1 pint grape tomatoes ($2.48*)
• 1/2 red onion ($0.49)
• 1/4 bunch fresh parsley (chopped, (about ½ cup) $0.35)
• 1 15 oz. can cannellini beans ($0.94)
• 1 12 oz. can chunk light tuna ($2.50**)
• 2 oz. feta cheese ($1.42)

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Instructions 

• Make the vinaigrette first, so the flavors have a little time to blend. In a bowl or jar, combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, oregano, salt, and pepper. Whisk the ingredients together, or close the jar and shake until combined. Set the vinaigrette aside.
• If you want to soften the flavor of the red onion a bit, slice it then soak the slices in ice water for about five minutes before dicing. Otherwise, finely dice the red onion, cut the cucumber into quarter rounds, slice the tomatoes in half, and roughly chop the parsley.
• Combine the cucumber, tomato, onion, and parsley in a bowl. Pour the vinaigrette over top, then stir until the vegetables are coated.
• Rinse and drain the beans, and drain the tuna. Add the beans, tuna, and feta to the salad, then gently stir to combine. These three are added last and only gently stirred to make sure the tuna remains in larger flakes instead of falling apart into tiny pieces.
• Serve immediately, or refrigerate up to four days. Give it a quick stir after refrigerating and before serving to redistribute the dressing.

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Notes

*I use an English cucumber. You can use a conventional cucumber and diced Roma tomatoes in place of English cucumber and grape tomatoes if needed. 

**I suggest chunk light tuna for this recipe because I think it’s the happy medium between good texture (large pieces instead of tiny flakes) and price. You can use tuna packed in either water or oil, whichever you prefer. The nutritional stats below are calculated using tuna packed in water.

You can add, substitute, or skip the salad ingredients in this recipe based on your needs. I think sun-dried tomatoes, pitted olives, bell peppers, chickpeas, avocado, cooked orzo, penne, or bowtie pasta, spinach or romaine (keep separate if meal prepping), or roasted red peppers would be delicious additions.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 232kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 17gFat: 12gSodium: 585mgFiber: 5g

Read our full nutrition disclaimer here.

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How to Make Mediterranean Tuna Salad Step-by-Step Photos

Make the vinaigrette: I like to start with the vinaigrette so the flavors have a little time to blend. Combine ¼ cup olive oil, 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp freshly cracked pepper. Set the dressing aside.

Shock the onions (optional): If you want to soften the flavor of the red onions, soaking them for five minutes or so in ice water really helps! I slice them first to give more surface area to water contact, then finely dice them after soaking. For this recipe, I used about ½ of a red onion.

Prep the other ingredients: You also want to cut one cucumber into quarter rounds, slice a pint of grape tomatoes in half, and roughly chop about ¼ bunch of parsley (about ½ cup chopped). Add them all to a bowl with the finely diced red onion.

Combine the ingredients: Pour the vinaigrette over top, then stir until everything is coated. We’ll add the tuna and feta last so they don’t break apart too much when stirring.

Rinse and drain one 15oz. can of cannellini beans, and drain one 12oz. can of chunk light tuna. Add the beans, tuna, and 2oz. feta to the salad, then fold to combine.

And that’s a wrap! Your Mediterranean Tuna Salad is ready to go. You can either serve it immediately or refrigerate for up to four days. Enjoy!

How to Serve

This well-rounded salad could be served on its own in a larger portion as a stand-alone meal, but you could also round it out by adding some homemade pita and white bean hummus on the side. It would also be good stuffed in a pita or wrap (I like to use a cottage cheese wrap for added protein and more filling power) or adding some cooked pasta to make it into a pasta salad. I also love scooping it up with crackers or air fried tortilla chips.

How Long Does it Last?

My salad stayed fresh for about 3-4 days. The ingredients hold up extremely well in the refrigerator. You do want to give it a good stir before serving, though, to redistribute the dressing and make sure everything is as flavorful as possible.

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