Salad Nicoise
This salad is basically a win on every front — it's got lean protein, good fats, and a ton of colorful veggies all working together. The tuna brings in solid protein plus omega-3s, which are great for your heart and brain, and the olive oil (both in the dressing and drizzled on top) adds those good-for-you monounsaturated fats that help fight inflammation. Then you've got the green beans, potatoes, tomatoes, and bell pepper pitching in fiber, vitamins C and A, and potassium, while the mixed greens toss in some folate without adding barely any calories. The hard-boiled eggs give you even more protein plus a nice dose of choline, and the fresh herbs and garlic bring antioxidants to the party without any extra sodium or fat. Basically, because everything here is whole and real — no refined carbs, no heavy sauces — you get steady energy, you actually feel full, and it fits right into that easy, heart-healthy Mediterranean way of eating it's inspired by.
Active time: 15 minutes
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
Vinaigrette
3 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup red wine vinegar
Salt & ground pepper
½ cup Olive oil
Salad
3 cans wild tuna, drained if packed in water
2 tbs California extra Virgin olive oil
Salt & ground pepper
12 oz red new potatoes
12 oz green beans
1 head salad greens or romaine
1 very small red onion thinly sliced
½ red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
4 small tomatoes cut into wedges
½ cup Niçoise olives
2 hard boiled eggs, thinly sliced
Handful mixed fresh herbs (thyme, parsley, rosemary, chives)
Directions
Vinaigrette
Whisk garlic, vinegar & salt in a bowl, stir in oil slowly & whisk. Reserve.
Marinate tuna in olive oil, salt & pepper for 1hour
Boil potatoes in salted water till soft. Thinly slice potatoes,
Blanch green beans 3-5 minutes, rinse under cold water, drain & cool.
Break tuna in bite size & toss w/ ¼ vinaigrette.
Taste for seasoning
Layer salad in glass bowl: greens, spuds, beans, onion, pepper, tomatoes, tuna, olives, eggs, and herbs.
Make it your own
Substitute 1 pound tuna cooked the way one like it
Substitute olives with Kalamata olives, Castelvetrano olives, Gaeta olives, or black olives (in a pinch).
Substitute cherry tomatoes
**Please use wild sustainably pole and line caught tuna.**
Nutritional highlights
Here's an estimated nutritional breakdown per serving (recipe divided into 6 servings). These are approximate values based on standard USDA data for the ingredients listed.
Macronutrients (per serving)
Calories: ~380–420 kcal
Protein: ~24 g
Total fat: ~28 g (mostly monounsaturated, from olive oil)
Saturated fat: ~4.5 g
Carbohydrates: ~16 g
Fiber: ~4 g
Sugar: ~4 g
Key Vitamins
Vitamin A: ~1,400 IU (28% DV) — from tomatoes, bell pepper, greens
Vitamin C: ~35 mg (39% DV) — bell pepper, tomatoes, potatoes
Vitamin K: ~110 mcg (92% DV) — green beans, greens, olive oil
Folate: ~90 mcg (23% DV) — green beans, eggs, greens
Vitamin B12: ~1.8 mcg (75% DV) — tuna, eggs
Vitamin E: ~2.5 mg (17% DV) — olive oil
Key Minerals
Potassium: ~750 mg (16% DV) — potatoes, tomatoes, tuna
Iron: ~2.2 mg (12% DV) — greens, eggs, green beans
Calcium: ~60 mg (5% DV) — greens, eggs
Magnesium: ~55 mg (13% DV) — potatoes, green beans
Selenium: ~55 mcg (100% DV) — tuna is very high in selenium
Other notable nutrients
Omega-3 fatty acids: ~0.5–1 g (from tuna, especially if oil-packed)
Choline: ~150 mg — from eggs