Mediterranean Tuna Salad Recipe

Healthy, flavor-packed, and delicious, this Mediterranean Tuna Salad is a budget-friendly recipe to use up pantry staples as well as a few crunchy veggies like peppers and tomatoes.

This salad is high in protein, fiber, and heart-healthy fats. It’s gluten-free, paleo, low-carb, and Mediterranean diet compliant, so it’s a winner all around.

This tuna salad recipe does not have any mayo – instead, it is light and zesty from a lemon olive oil dressing. Trust me, you will not miss the mayo at all! The perfect make-ahead lunch option, you can serve this tuna and white bean salad on its own, over toast, or over a crunchy Romaine lettuce salad for a perfect lunch option.

Featuring ingredients that pair well together and hold up in the refrigerator for days, this is a perfect meal prep option.

This tuna salad is gluten-free, all-natural, and inspired by flavors of the Mediterranean like olives, tomatoes, feta, lemon, and fresh herbs.

One of the most efficient, inexpensive, and healthy ways to get your foodie bang for your buck is to eat more beans. As noted in the heralded Blue Zones philosophy, eating more beans is a fundamental key to living longer and the cornerstone of the diet of those who live over 100 years. Beans! Who knew they held such power?! Only centuries of plant-based eaters from around the world, that’s who.

Opening a can of beans is one of the easiest ways to get more plant-based, healthy protein in your diet.

Ingredients in Mediterranean Tuna Salad

albacore tuna - a native to the Mediterranean, albacore tuna is used in this tuna salad recipe because it is hearty, flakes easily and adds great texture as the main protein source in the salad.
cannellini beans - we use canned white cannellini beans to add fiber and flavor to this recipe. You can sub Great northern beans or chickpeas if you prefer
yellow bell pepper (or any color) - peppers add great crunch and are known to be an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, and potassium.
cherry tomatoes, quartered
shallot (or red onion), diced
Kalamata olives pitted and quartered
green olives pitted and quartered
feta cheese, cubed or crumbled
capers, rinsed
fresh herbs like dill and parsley round out the salad
juice of half a lemon
extra virgin olive oil - a healthy dose of plant-based fats ties the salad together rather than mayo in this tuna salad recipe
salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Optional Add-ins:

cucumbers - add a nice crunch to the salad, but if cucumbers are added, they do tend to get soggy quickly so the salad must be consumed in 1-2 days with cucumbers.

artichoke hearts - briny artichoke hearts add delicious texture and flavor to this tuna salad

pepperoncini peppers - a type of chili pepper that is a blend of hot and sweet. This pepper is a signature food in the Mediterranean diet, popular in Greece and Italy, where it is known as both “peperone” and “friggitello.” This pepper gives the arrabbiata sauce its heat, adorns antipasto platters, and adds a sweet crunch as a pickled condiment on sandwiches and in salads.

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How to Make Mayo-Free Tuna Salad

Place the tuna in a medium bowl or food storage container. Flake the tuna slightly with a fork.

Add the beans, bell pepper, tomatoes, shallot, olives, capers, feta cheese, fresh dill, and parsley to the bowl. Toss to mix. Drizzle with olive oil and fresh-squeezed lemon and a few turns of freshly cracked black pepper.

Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for lunches throughout the week. This Mediterranean Tuna and White bean salad will be good for 4 days in the refrigerator. After 4 days, the tomatoes and peppers will start to get soggy from the acid in the lemon juice.