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    Home » Recipes » Handheld Meals

    Pesto Tuna Salad With Beans

    Published: September 8, 2023 Updated: September 8, 2023 / By: Dawn | Girl Heart Food 8 Comments

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    Close-up of pesto tuna and bean salad toast on a dark blue plate.

    Made in about 10 minutes using simple ingredients, this pesto tuna salad with beans is incredibly easy to prepare and so delicious! It’s satisfying for a quick lunch and great for meal prep (and who doesn’t love that?). This canned tuna recipe is definitely a tasty one to add to your lunch repertoire!

    Pesto tuna and bean salad toast on a dark blue plate.

    If you’re looking to stretch that can of tuna sitting in your pantry, then this pesto tuna salad recipe is just the thing!

    The tuna is paired with cannellini beans (or white kidney beans), some pesto, mayonnaise, veggies, lemon juice and seasoning. Simple? Yes. Delicious? You bet!

    It has those classic tuna salad vibes with a twist. It’s a little more subtle in tuna flavour than a traditional tuna salad but just as delicious if you ask me.

    Fan of canned tuna recipes? Check out these tuna quesadillas!

    Ingredients

    • Canned tuna: For this pesto tuna salad recipe, I prefer to use canned tuna in water as the pesto is oily enough. Make sure it’s well drained before using.
    • White kidney beans: Also known as cannellini beans. These are slightly firm, nutty and delicious (they’re also pretty budget-friendly … I can typically purchase a tin of them for not much more than a buck). You’ll want to make sure they’re rinsed and drained well before using, so you don’t add unnecessary moisture to your tuna salad.
    • Pesto: I used a store-bought pesto (your standard run-of-the-mill traditional basil pesto).
    • Mayonnaise: Adds the classic creamy flavour you would typically find in tuna salad.
    • Veggies: Red bell pepper and green onion not only add colour to the tuna salad but extra flavour and some texture.
    • Lemon juice: Fresh lemon juice really brightens the tuna mixture.
    • Seasoning: Crushed red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper are used.
    Ingredients for pesto tuna cannellini bean salad in a bowl before mixing.

    How To Make It

    Add all the pesto tuna salad ingredients to a mixing bowl, then stir to combine. That’s it!

    Ingredients for pesto tuna cannellini bean salad in a bowl after mixing.

    Can I Make It Ahead of Time?

    Most definitely! You can make this pesto tuna salad recipe, then properly store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator to enjoy within 3 to 4 days.

    Serving spoon of pesto tuna and bean salad from a bowl.

    How To Serve It

    My favourite way to serve the pesto tuna salad is on a slice of toasted bread. I like to spread the toast with a little mayo, top with some baby spinach or baby arugula, then generously pile on the pesto tuna salad. This open-faced sandwich is a go-to for lunch on busy days! Alternatively, you can serve the tuna salad between two slices of bread for a full sandwich.

    Other delicious options are to serve it on a tortilla as a wrap, with crackers or on lettuce leaves (like Boston or Butter lettuce). Or, nix all that and serve it as is!

    This pesto tuna salad with beans is what I would consider a snack or light lunch, but you could totally make it more substantial if you pair it with something else, such as a green salad or bowl of tomato basil soup.

    Close-up of pesto tuna and bean salad toast on a dark blue plate.

    Tips and Variations

    • If you like your pesto tuna cannellini bean salad a little creamier, you can mash some of the beans. This will give the tuna salad a creamier consistency without adding more mayonnaise
    • Feel free to substitute some (or all) of the mayonnaise with plain Greek yogurt.
    • Once the pesto tuna salad is served on toast or crackers (or whatever you are using), for extra richness, drizzle with some olive oil (plain or flavoured, like lemon, chili or garlic).
    • You can mix up the veggies. For example, use chives instead of green onion and celery instead of bell pepper.
    • As mentioned, I used a standard store-bought basil pesto. You can substitute with a homemade version if you wish or even try arugula pesto for something a little different.
    Two slices of pesto tuna and bean toast, each on a dark blue plate.

    More Tasty Canned Tuna Recipes

    • Tuna Lettuce Wraps With Peanut Sauce
    • Tuna Avocado Sandwich
    • Tuna Lentil Salad

    If you make this pesto tuna salad with beans, be sure to leave a comment below!

    Pesto tuna and bean salad toast on a dark blue plate.

    Pesto Tuna Salad With Beans

    Dawn | Girl Heart Food
    Made in about 10 minutes using simple ingredients, this pesto tuna salad with beans is incredibly easy to prepare and so delicious! It's satisfying for a quick lunch and great for meal prep (and who doesn't love that?). This canned tuna recipe is definitely a tasty one to add to your lunch repertoire!
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Save RecipeSaved!
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 10 minutes mins
    Course Lunch, Snack
    Servings 4 servings
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    Ingredients
     

    • 1 (6-ounce or 170-gram) can tuna in water, drained well
    • 1 (19-ounce) can white kidney (cannellini) beans, rinsed and drained
    • ¼ cup pesto
    • ¼ cup mayonnaise
    • ¼ cup diced red bell pepper
    • ¼ cup sliced green onion
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
    • ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
    • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

    Instructions

    • Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl and stir until well combined. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and black pepper, if desired. Serve on toasted bread, or with crackers or lettuce leaves. Enjoy!

    A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.

    © Girl Heart Food Inc. Photographs and content are copyright protected.

    Keyword canned tuna recipe, easy lunch idea, pesto tuna salad, tuna bean salad, tuna cannellini salad

    Tried this recipe?

    If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!

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    Reader Interactions

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    1. David @ Spiced

      September 12, 2023 at 9:26 am

      5 stars
      What an easy lunch idea! I love the pesto in here, and the fact that you bulked this up with beans makes it even better. Add in a good grain bread, and you can count me in here. Thanks for the inspiration!

      Reply
      • Dawn | Girl Heart Food

        September 12, 2023 at 7:45 pm

        It sure is! Thank you, David! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Valentina

      September 11, 2023 at 2:34 pm

      Cannellini beans and tuna is such a great combination, and this is such a fantastic quick lunch, snack or dinner. 🙂 ~Valentina

      Reply
      • Dawn | Girl Heart Food

        September 11, 2023 at 8:13 pm

        It really is! Thank you so much, Valentina!

        Reply
    3. Kevin

      September 08, 2023 at 12:31 pm

      Can’t wait to make this recipe..!! And thanks again for reposting it so quickly due to an unfortunate “glitch”. 🙂

      Reply
      • Dawn | Girl Heart Food

        September 08, 2023 at 12:46 pm

        Thanks so much, Kevin! Hope you love it! Yes, the recipe link would be quite helpful in the mail-out, LOL. 🙂

        Reply
    4. Michelle

      September 08, 2023 at 12:05 pm

      5 stars
      A great way to change up tuna salad, and love the added creaminess from the cannellini beans! So hearty and healthy.

      Reply
      • Dawn | Girl Heart Food

        September 08, 2023 at 12:41 pm

        Thank you very much, Michelle! It’s a lunch favourite!

        Reply

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