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Lentil Tuna Salad

By Brittany Mullins

4.74

17

Published Jun 12, 2017, Updated Sep 20, 2022

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GFGluten-FreeDFDairy Free

This lentil tuna salad combines beluga lentils with canned tuna, fresh veggies and a turmeric dressing. It’s absolutely delicious and perfect for summer cookouts and parties. 

I’m super excited about this particular salad because it’s loaded with tons of healthy ingredients, has a flavorful dressing and is the perfect dish to bring to a summer cookout or bbq.

One of my best tips for eating healthfully at summer cookouts is to bring a healthy dish to share. That way you know there’s at least one nutritious thing to enjoy and you get to introduce your friends and family to something healthy and delicious.

That said, most of your standard bbq side dishes are pretty heavy on the carbs and fat without a ton of protein, but this one has the full package of carbs, healthy fats and protein from the tuna and lentils.

Ingredients in Lentil Tuna Salad

In general, the salad ingredients are pretty simple, so what really makes this salad is the apple cider vinegar turmeric dressing. Here’s what you need to make this delicious (and super easy) tuna salad:

• canned tuna – I used Genova’s albacore tuna packed in olive oil. It’s wild-caught, delicious and comes in easy to open cans. No can opener needed!
• beluga lentils (black lentils) – I’m personally always happy when I find recipes that use lentils because you don’t have to soak them (although you certainly can) and they cook up quickly, in about 20-25 minutes or so.
• red onion, red bell pepper & cucumber – these fresh veggies add a nice crunch to the salad.
• golden raisins – I love the pop of sweetness from the golden raisins.
• cilantro – adding fresh cilantro to this salad gives it such great flavor.
• avocado – adds a nice creaminess to the salad and some healthy fat.
• sea salt – a must-have for a tasty tuna salad.
• apple cider vinegar turmeric dressing – a super simple dressing that has this sweet and spicy thing going on from the apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, dijon mustard, turmeric, salt, pepper, cayenne, cinnamon, nutmeg, and olive oil.

Notes & Substitutions

Lentils – I like to cook my own lentils, but to make this recipe come together even quicker you can totally use pre-cooked, steamed lentils. Stores like Kroger carry the Melissa’s steamed lentils and steamed lentils are one of  my favorite items to buy from Trader Joe’s.

Mix-ins – Feel free to switch up your mix-ins for this tuna salad… I often do! Sometimes I change up the veggies based on what I have on hand and add extra herbs like fresh dill (so good!). Feel free to get creative and make this your own!

Red onion  – Not a fan of red onion feel free to use yellow onion instead.

Feta –  Adding feta to this salad would be a great addition if you don’t need it to be dairy free.

Benefits of Lentils

Beluga lentils (black lentils) are high in anthocyanins, the same antioxidants found in deep purple fruits like blueberries and plums which are being studied for their memory-boosting and cancer-fighting properties.

How to Serve Lentil Tuna Salad

I love meal prepping protein-packed salads because there are so many different ways you can eat them. Serve it as a meal, side salad or just an afternoon snack… I’ve been known to do all three! Here’s how to enjoy it:

• Eat as is – it’s definitely a complete meal on it’s own.
• Over a bed of greens – I am a volume eater so I love starting with a base of greens and topping it with this salad.
• Lettuce cups – scoop into a lettuce leaf for a crunchy and fresh wrap. Romaine, butter or iceberg lettuce works great for this.
• In a wrap – scoop into a whole grain wrap and add some greens for a little extra crunch and you have a satisfying wrap!
• On toast/as a sandwich – I love this as both an open faced sandwich on toasted bread or a more traditional sandwich with un-toasted bread. 
• With crackers or tortilla chips – This is a great snack or appetizer when eaten like a dip with crackers or chips. It’s delicious when paired with my almond flour crackers.

Prepping and Storing Tuna Salad

This tuna lentil salad is the perfect meal prep recipe! One batch makes a big serving, so you’ll be set with lunches or dinners all week long. 

If you’re prepping this salad in advance, I would recommend leaving the avocado out and adding that in right before serving. After mixing all of the ingredients together, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The salad will keep for 3-4 days. 

More Tuna Recipes to Try:

• Tuna Salad
• Simple Lemon Tuna Salad
• Tuna Salad with Egg
• Spaghetti Squash Tuna Noodle Casserole Boats
• Broccoli Avocado Tuna Bowl
• BBQ Hummus Tuna Sandwich
• Sweet Potato Tuna Salad (No Mayo)
• Tuna Curry Bowl with Cauliflower Rice
• Tuna, Broccoli and Kale Caesar Pasta Salad

Other Protein Salads to Try:

• Tofu “Chicken” Salad
• Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad
• Almond Butter Chicken Salad
• Curry Chicken Salad
• Avocado Egg Salad 
• Turkey Salad

Be sure to check out all of the tuna recipes as well as the full collection of salad recipes on EBF!

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4.74 from 15 votes

Lentil Tuna Salad

By: Brittany Mullins

This lentil tuna salad combines beluga lentils with canned tuna, fresh veggies and a turmeric dressing. It’s absolutely delicious and perfect for summer cookouts and parties.

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 14

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 ½ cups black beluga lentils, sifted and rinsed
• ▢ 3 cups water
• ▢ 1 pinch sea salt
• ▢ 2 Genova Albacore Tuna in Olive Oil in Easy-Open Can, drained
• ▢ ½ cup chopped red onion
• ▢ ½ cup chopped red bell pepper
• ▢ ½ cup chopped cucumber
• ▢ ¼ cup golden raisins
• ▢ ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• ▢ 1 avocado, chopped

Apple Cider Vinegar Turmeric Dressing:

• ▢ ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
• ▢ 1 teaspoon turmeric
• ▢ 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pepper
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon cayenne
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ 1 dash nutmeg
• ▢ ⅓ cup olive oil

Instructions 

• Cook lentils: Add lentils, 3 cups of water and a pinch of salt into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, partially cover and simmer until lentils are soft, about 25 minutes. Drain through a fine strainer and rinse quickly with cold water to cool. Drain again, set lentils aside and allow to cool. This step can be done ahead of time. Just cook your lentils, cool and store them in the fridge until you’re ready to make the salad.
• Combine ingredients: In a large bowl, add the cooled lentils, tuna, red onion, bell pepper, cucumber, raisins and cilantro into a large bowl and toss to combine.
• Make dressing: In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix together apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, turmeric salt, pepper, cayenne, cinnamon and nutmeg. Whisk in olive oil and toss over the lentil tuna mixture.
• Serve: Refrigerate until ready to eat. Add the chopped avocado just before serving. Serve with crackers for a snack or appetizer, on bread or a wrap for a sandwich or over a bed of greens.  Salad should last 3-4 days in the fridge.

Notes

• Lentils – I like to cook my own lentils, but to make this recipe come together even quicker you can totally use pre-cooked, steamed lentils. Stores like Kroger carry the Melissa’s steamed lentils and steamed lentils are one of  my favorite items to buy from Trader Joe’s.
• Mix-ins – Feel free to switch up your mix-ins for this tuna salad… I often do! Sometimes I change up the veggies based on what I have on hand and add extra herbs like fresh dill (so good!). Feel free to get creative and make this your own!
• Red onion  – Not a fan of red onion feel free to use yellow onion instead.
• Feta –  Adding feta to this salad would be a great addition if you don’t need it to be dairy free.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 200kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 288mg | Potassium: 216mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 232IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Lunch, Salad

Cuisine: American

Keyword: lentil tuna salad

Did you make this recipe?Mention @eatingbirdfood and tag #eatingbirdfood!

Inspired by My New Roots Best Lentil Salad.