My pantry may be sparse from time to time, but I always seem to have cans of tuna and cannellini beans on hand.
I have been making this simple salad for years.
It is one of my go-to meals, when I haven’t had time to go the market, or I need a meal in a hurry.
When I have been away from home for awhile, (having eaten all of my meals out) there are only two things I feel like eating when I get home; a simple pasta dish or (if I don’t feel like cooking) tuna and cannellini beans.
This dish is as quick and easy to prepare as it is healthy and delicious.
It is the quality of ingredients that make this simple dish so good. Tuna packed in extra-virgin olive oil has so much more flavor than tuna packed in water.
Every time I made a trip to Italy, I brought Italian tonno back in my suitcase (even leaving some of my personal belongings behind to make room).
I now have a local Italian deli that carries a quality brand. If you don’t have a store in your neighborhood, no worries, it’s available on Amazon. Look for Italian tuna packed in extra-virgin olive oil and with tuna, olive oil and sea salt as the only ingredients.
Ingredients:
- 1 or 2 cans (5-oz.) Italian tuna packed in olive oil (undrained)
- 1 can (15-oz.) Cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Vinegar (red wine vinegar or balsamic)
- 1/2 of a Red onion, thinly sliced
- Season with salt and pepper to taste
- Arugula or spring greens
- In a medium-size bowl, combine tuna, cannellini beans and red onion.
- Drizzle with olive oil, pour on a bit of vinegar. Traditionally, it’s made with red wine vinegar and that’s what I used to use. Then one day, I only had balsamic and I really liked it (it’s sweeter). Use the one you prefer.
- Season with salt and pepper, add more olive oil and/or vinegar to your liking.
To make a complete meal, I serve the salad on a bed of arugula or spring greens, along with fresh apple or pear slices, a hard cheese (Parmesan or Pecorino), Kalamata olives and rustic, crunchy, chewy Italian bread or bruschetta.
