When you get into the habit of using your Sun Oven on a regular basis you almost hate to see a sunny day go to waste.
When dinner is covered you could still throw a big pot of beans in your Sun Oven. Once cooked, store them in their cooking liquid. They’ll keep in the fridge for 3 or 4 days. Once you have cooked beans on hand (and cooked dried beans are so much better than canned), you’ll be able to create everything from dips to main dishes.
What Is Bean and Tuna Salad?
Bean and tuna salad is a simple, protein-packed salad made with tender white beans, tuna, red onion, and a light olive oil and vinegar dressing. There’s no mayonnaise or heavy dressing, so the flavor of the beans and tuna really comes through.
This is also a great way to use a batch of cannellini beans cooked in the Sun Oven. I like to cook more beans than I need for one meal, then keep the extras in the refrigerator for recipes like this one. Once the beans are already cooked, the salad takes just a few minutes to put together.
Serve it as a light lunch, an easy side dish, or even a simple dinner with some crusty bread.
* 350+ recipes
* Detailed descriptions
* Vegetarian options
* Gluten free options
* Includes a Sun Oven tutorial
* Printed in black and white on white paper
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
Cannellini Beans: These mild, creamy white beans are the base of the salad. Home-cooked beans have excellent texture and are a good excuse to put the Sun Oven to work on a sunny day. You can also use drained and rinsed canned cannellini beans when you need a quicker option. Great Northern beans are another good substitute.
Tuna: I use canned tuna packed in water. Drain it well before adding it to the salad. Tuna packed in olive oil will also work, but you may want to reduce the additional olive oil in the dressing.
Red Onion: Thinly sliced red onion adds some crunch and a little bite. Soaking the slices in water for about 10 minutes takes away some of the sharpness without eliminating the onion flavor.
Olive Oil and Red Wine Vinegar: You don't need a complicated dressing for this salad. Good olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper are enough. Lemon juice or white wine vinegar can be substituted for the red wine vinegar for a slightly different flavor.
Goes Great With...
Ways to Use Your Beans
- Solar simmered cannellini with kale
- Solar garlic white bean dip (use leftover beans to make this dip)
- Pan-fried solar simmered bean patties (yet another way to use these beans)
Tips and Tricks
Make sure the beans have cooled before assembling the salad. They can be chilled or at room temperature, but hot beans will change the texture of the tuna and onions.
Drain the tuna thoroughly so the salad doesn't become watery. The same goes for canned beans if you're using them instead of beans cooked from scratch.
After mixing everything together, give the salad a few minutes to sit before serving. This gives the beans a chance to pick up some of the olive oil, vinegar, and seasoning.
Finally, don't be afraid to adjust the dressing. Add another splash of vinegar for more tang, a little more olive oil if the salad seems dry, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
For an easy meal, serve the bean and tuna salad with toasted or crusty bread. It also works well as a make-ahead lunch to keep in the refrigerator for later.
* 350+ recipes
* Detailed descriptions
* Vegetarian options
* Gluten free options
* Includes a Sun Oven tutorial
* Printed in black and white on white paper
Solar Oven Bean and Tuna Salad
Equipment
- 1 Solar Oven
Ingredients
- ½ Red onion thinly sliced
- 3 cups Cooked cannellini beans cold or room temperature
- 2 cans Tuna, packed in water
- ¼ cup Olive oil
- 1 tblsp Red wine vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Soak onion slices in a small bowl with water for 10 minutes. Drain and squeeze dry.
- Combine onions, beans, and tuna in a large serving bowl.
- Toss with oil, vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with crusty bread.
Leave a Reply