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20-Minute Mediterranean Tuna & White Bean Salad (warm)

Warm cannellini beans and flaked canned tuna tossed in garlicky olive oil with sun-dried tomatoes, capers, lemon, and wilted arugula, finished with feta and olives — 20 minutes, about 29g protein per serving (estimated).
Prep Time 8 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 (5 oz) cans tuna in olive oil drained (oil-packed is the flavor play)
  • 2 (15 oz) cans cannellini beans drained and rinsed
  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
  • 4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes chopped
  • 2 tbsp capers drained
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 medium red onion thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives halved
  • 1 lemon zested and juiced
  • 4 cups baby arugula
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
  • Crusty bread for serving

Equipment

  • Large deep skillet (12-inch)
  • Citrus zester or microplane
  • Wooden spoon or spatula

Method
 

  1. Thinly slice the garlic and red onion, chop the sun-dried tomatoes, drain the tuna and beans, and zest and juice the lemon. Flake the tuna into large chunks with a fork — keep them chunky, not shredded. Line everything up; this moves fast once the heat is on.
  2. Pour the olive oil into the large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring often, until the garlic is pale gold and fragrant, 2–3 minutes. Keep the heat gentle — browned garlic tastes bitter, and this oil is the dressing.
  3. Add the cannellini beans and red onion to the skillet. Toss to coat in the garlicky oil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are heated through, about 3–4 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper — remember the capers, olives, and feta all bring salt, so season lightly.
  4. Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the lemon zest and juice, then the flaked tuna and olives. Fold gently — just enough to warm the tuna through and coat everything in the oil. The tuna is already cooked, so this is about warming, not cooking.
  5. Add the arugula and fold until just wilted, about 1 minute. The residual heat softens the leaves without turning them to mush. Taste once more and adjust lemon or salt.
  6. Crumble the feta over the top, drizzle with a little extra olive oil, and serve warm with crusty bread for scooping up the garlicky oil at the bottom of the bowl.

Notes

Food safety: no raw meat in this recipe — canned tuna is pre-cooked; warm through gently. Keep the garlic pale gold, never brown. Leftovers 4 days refrigerated; reheat gently to 165°F. Not freezer-friendly. Protein ~29g/serving estimated from USDA FoodData Central; not lab-tested.