Quinoa Tuna Salad
Quinoa Tuna Salad is very light, healthy, and very refreshing all at the same time. It’s made with red onion, bell peppers, cucumbers, olives, canned tuna, and quinoa with a splash of lemon and extra-virgin olive oil to give it more flavor. Simple and easy, and it lasts for days in the fridge.
Lately, we have become obsessed with quinoa, ever since our wonderful friends introduced us to this ancient high-protein grain.
It’s a wheat-free and gluten-free versatile grain that is very delicate and light in texture with a nutty flavor all on its own.
The tangy lemon is mild in this tuna salad, and this is where you can get creative and add more or less lemon to your taste. If you don’t care for lemon, by all means, use light vinegar instead.
We also love adding bell peppers to our salads. They provide a nice crunchy texture along with the sweet taste of them, not overpowering, and adds a nice balance to the salad.
This is a healthy grain you can have so much fun jazzing it up with even more flavors. Don’t be afraid to add in capers, green cocktail olives, and even fresh parsley.
Quinoa Tuna Salad is a delicious salad to serve chilled or at room temperature on a bed of lettuce for a light lunch or even serve as a side with a soup for dinner.
Enjoy!
Don’t forget to Pin to your Salad Board!!
More healthy recipes for quinoa!
Yield: 4 to 6
Quinoa Tuna Salad
Quinoa Tuna Salad is very light, healthy and very refreshing all at the same time. It's made with red onion, bell peppers, cucumbers, olives, canned tuna and quinoa with a splash of lemon and extra-virgin olive oil to give it more flavor. Perfect salad to make all year long!
Prep Time
20 minutes
Total Time
20 minutes
Ingredients
- 1+ 1/2 cups Quinoa
- 3 cups water
- 2 cans of Tuna in olive oil
- 1 lemon- juiced
- 1/3 red onion - diced
- 2 small bell peppers (I used 1 yellow, 1 red)- chopped
- 1/2 cucumber - diced
- 1 small can pitted black olives- chopped
- 2 to 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- fresh basil to garnish
Instructions
- Place quinoa and water in a 2-quart sauce pot. Bring to boil.
- Cover, reduce heat and simmer until all liquid is absorbed, about 12 to 15 minutes.
- Set aside to cool completely. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- In the meantime, open cans of tuna and drain the oil. Transfer tuna to a small bowl. Add lemon juice, red onion, bell peppers, olives and diced cucumber. Toss lightly to combine.
- When quinoa is completely cooled, add in the tuna mixture. Pour in some olive oil and mix with a spoon to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Transfer salad to a serving bowl. Cover with clear wrap and chill for one hour before serving. Garnish with fresh basil at the top.
- Serves 4 to 6
you Quinoa Tuna Salad looks gorgeous. What a delicious way to eat healthy as well. ๐
Thank you Amy!
This looks wonderful – so healthy and delicious – I could eat this everyday!
Mary x
Hi Mary, we could too! xxoo
greeat idea. i am definitely going to try this one.
Thanks Anna, I think you will like this one! xxoo
A lovely, healthy dish! And I just bought a whole bunch of tuna at Whole Foods!
Thank you Abbe, I just bought some too!
This is such a great idea! We love our classic tuna salad and this is such a healthy twist on it.
Thank you Sue, I made this for lunch for my friends and it was a hit!