Tuscan Tuna + White Bean Salad

This simple Tuscan Tuna + White Bean Salad is full of Mediterranean flavor! Made with butter beans and tuna, it's full of protein!

Prep Time 20

Servings

Calories 154kcal

Ingredients

5 oz Canned Tuna in Olive Oil
1 Bunch Frisée about 4 cups, packed
1 15 oz Can Butter Beans rinsed and drained
1 1/2 Cups Sliced Fennel about 1/2 of a bulb
1/3 Cup Toasted, Salted Pine Nuts
Juice from 1 Blood Orange
Juice from 1/2 Lemon
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Tsp Salt or more, to taste
Pinch Aleppo Pepper or hot paprika
Black Pepper to taste

Instructions

To start, prep your ingredients. Take the tuna out of the can and shake off any excess oil if needed. Add it to a large mixing bowl, and use a fork to separate it into smaller pieces.
Wash and dry your frisée, then cut into bite-sized pieces. You should end up with about 4 packed cups. (Packed means pressing down the frisée into the cups so that there are as few air pockets as possible, instead of loosely putting them into the cups.) Add the frisée to the mixing bowl.
Rinse and brain your can of butter beans. Pat them dry with a clean towel so that there's no excess liquid. Add them to the mixing bowl.
Wash and dry your fennel, then slice it in half lengthwise (this will ensure that the fennel pieces are smaller once you slice them). CAREFULLY slice the halved fennel into thin pieces using a mandoline slicer or a knife. You should end up with about 1 1/2 cups. Add to the bowl.
If your pine nuts are raw, bring a skillet to medium-high heat (do NOT add oil). Add in the pine nuts once the pan is hot, then cook, stirring frequently, until nuts are just starting to brown. Keep a close eye because they can burn if you're not careful! Once browned, remove them from the pan immediately and set aside on a plate or dish to cool. Sprinkle them with a little pinch of salt, about 1/8 tsp. Once the pine nuts are cooled to room temperature, you can add them to the salad.
On top of everything in the bowl, juice 1 blood orange and 1/2 of a lemon, then drizzle with the olive oil. Sprinkle on the salt, Aleppo pepper (or hot paprika), and black pepper, and mix well. Taste, and adjust seasonings to your preference. I provided rough measurements here, but you can add or subtract any ingredients to your liking. Don't skip the orange though - it adds a beautiful, tangy sweetness.
Serve the salad at room temperature.
Enjoy!

Notes

Like many of my recipes, this is very much a "go with what you like" type of thing. For example, if you're vegan, use vegan tuna or just omit it entirely (and try substituting it with chopped olives, chickpeas, or capers). If you don't like frisée, sub with kale, endive, or arugula. Don't have butter beans on hand? Use chickpeas instead. No pine nuts? Try roasted, salted pumpkin seeds.
The one thing I do recommend sticking with is the vinaigrette - blood orange (though you can use navel orange juice if you'd like), lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and Aleppo pepper (or hot paprika). That being said, you can adjust those quantities to your liking, too.
This salad is best served fresh, but will keep in the fridge for about 1-2 days.

Nutrition

https://wellandfull.com/2025/06/tuscan-tuna-white-bean-salad/

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