Twelve years ago my husband and I got married in an 800 year old church overlooking the Adriatic, in a tiny hilltop town in Italy. The same church his great-grandparents were married in before they emigrated to the US. After a beautiful wedding day, we spent a week near Lucca, in Tuscany. Nearly every evening we ate dinner at a little wood fired pizza shop just down the mountain from our cottage. We still reminisce about our favorite “rucola e prosciutto” pizza, the simple fresh salads and the kind owner/pizza chef who came out from the kitchen every night to check on us and bring us gifts of biscotti, espresso and Lemoncello.
This was the beginning of my love affair with food. Italians are experts at taking the highest quality, fresh, healthy ingredients and preparing them with love and a simplicity that lets their natural flavors shine. The results are incredible in both their simplicity and deliciousness. (In my world, food must be healthy AND delicious!)
The closest we have come to repeating this authentic Italian experience here in the US is at our favorite Italian trattoria and pizzeria in Pittsburgh, PA called Il Piccolo Forno. This Tuscan White Bean and Tuna Salad was my attempt to recreate the flavors of an amazing salad we enjoyed there. A perfect combination of simple, fresh, healthy ingredients that made up a perfect summer salad.
This salad is delicious served on its own as a healthy lunch or a light dinner. Two of my four littles prefer it plain as pictured above or with some whole grain crackers. Nick has been known to turn it into a sandwich. But we really love it on a bed of mixed greens. Drizzle with a bit more extra virgin olive oil and an authentic, high quality balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with a few shaves of parmigiano reggiano and you’ll feel like you’re sitting at a trattoria in Tuscany.
Tuscan White Bean and Tuna Salad
Ingredients
- 3 c. cooked Cannellini or Great Northern beans or 2 15.5 oz cans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cans tuna fish (I like
- Genova yellowfin tuna in olive oil
- )
- 1 shallot minced
- 1/2 c. Flat leaf Italian parsley chopped
- 1/3 c. Extra virgin olive oil (I use
- California Olive Ranch
- )
- 1/4 c. Red wine vinegar
- Mixed greens balsamic vinegar and parmigiano reggiano, optional for serving
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine beans, tuna, shallot and parsley. Add olive oil and red wine vinegar and stir to combine. Ideally, if you can wait, let the salad sit in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight to allow the flavors to meld. Serve alone or over a bed of mixed greens and drizzle with a high quality balsamic vinegar and shaved parmigiano reggiano.
2 thoughts on “Tuscan White Bean and Tuna Salad”
This looks delicious Kristi! Thanks for the suggestion! 🙂
Thanks, Jennifer! Enjoy 🙂