Italian Tuna and White Bean Salad
Last August while spending a few weeks of vacation in Spain, my boyfriend and I were invited to spend the afternoon at a friend’s house just down the road. Now, I like nothing more than walking into a house and finding a spread of delicious, simple food. And, that, my lovelies, is exactly what we found that sunny afternoon. As we entered into the beautiful property on the southern part of Mallorca, we were welcomed into a gorgeous home and promptly welcomed with a glass of white wine a view over their pool to see mountains and clear blue skies.
One of the delicious things our beautiful friend made was a simple salad of white beans, fresh parsley, tuna, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. So easy, so delicious. The flavors were complex but still simple in execution. The parsley added such a vibrant punch to the oil packed tuna. Not to mention, it is perfectly gluten free (and dairy free) by nature!
When we returned home I began furiously recreating this recipe with a giggle-icious twist (for those of you who don’t personally know me yet, my knickname is Giggles. True story.). I threw in some traditional balsamic in addition to white balsamic. I added minced baby kale to the parsley and then I finished with some fresh lemon zest. Sometimes, when I am feeling a little extra sassy, I add one of my favorite dried pepper flakes, Red Stamp Pepper, from my amazing friends over at Lezzet Spices.
I hope you enjoy this salad as much as I do~ just be sure to get the best quality oil packed tuna you can, it makes all the difference.
Italian Tuna, White Bean and Parsley Salad
Gluten Free, Dairy Free
Serves 2-3 as a main course, 4-5 as a side
- 1 ½ c. cooked white beans (white kidney beans or butter beans)
- ½ c. minced parsley
- 1 c. packed, roughly chopped baby kale or baby spinach
- 2 T. olive oil
- 2 t. balsamic vinegar
- 2 t. white balsamic vinegar
- pinch of sea salt (about 1 t.)
- zest from ½ lemon
- 1 jar oil packed Italian tuna fillets (my favorite brand is Tonnino)
- *optional-2 t. red stamp pepper
Directions
Place the cooked beans, minced parsley, chopped baby kale, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, white balsamic vinegar, pinch of sea salt and lemon zest. Add the red stamp pepper if using.
Toss gently to coat and taste for seasoning. Adjust with either more olive oil or more vinegar.
Gently remove the tuna fillets from the jar (I find a fork useful for this) and loosely chunk the tuna. Stir once or twice to incorporate into the bean-greens mixture and then serve.
happy, healthy eating! ~kendra
