HungryForever

WHITE BEAN and Tuna Salad

Throw these pantry ingredients together and you’ve got a terrific salad. You could add other ingredients to jazz it up, like ½ cup capers, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, and some fresh basil leaves, and you could even serve it over 2 cups fresh arugula.

Ingredients

PANTRY

in One of the keys to putting together a last-minute Italian meal—or any mealfor that matter—that’s quick, stress-free, and delicious is to have a well-stocked pantry. Here are a few of the things I havemine, and on the following pages are a few dishes you can make when you’rea hurry and there is no time to grocery shop—that is, fresh from the pantry.
extra virgin olive oil
fresh garlic
in RED PEPPER FLAKES: If they’ve beenyour pantry for more than six months or their color isn’t a vibrant redthrow the bottle away and buy a new one. It’s lost its heat.
AN ASSORTMENT OF DRIED PASTA SHAPES: I like to have long strands such as spaghetti and linguine; short tubes like penne and rigatoni; and other shapes like shellsorecchiette (“little ears”), and farfalle (bow ties).
CANNED CANNELLINI BEANS: These are the Italian beans also known as Tuscan white beans.
in CANNED ITALIAN TUNA: Choose meat packedolive oil—it has more flavor.
in MARINARA SAUCE: I like to make my own and store itthe freezerbut you could buy your favorite jarred brand for the pantry.
DRIED HERBS: I always have at least oreganorosemary, thyme, and herbes de Provence.
VINEGARS: a good balsamic for saladsand both red- and white-wine vinegars.
ONIONS: redSpanish, and a sweet variety such as Vidalia, as well as shallots.
in CAPERS: They add a zing to saladssauces, meats, and fish. Availablebrine or salted; I prefer the salted. The onesbrine are easier to find, though you should make sure to rinse them before using.

WHITE BEAN and Tuna Salad

2in cans dark meat tunapackedolive oil, 6-ounce
teaspoon ½sea saltplus more to taste
teaspoon ½freshly ground black pepperplus more to taste
2 cans cannellini beansdrained and rinsed, 15-ounce
1 medium red onionthinly sliced
6tablespoons red wine vinegar

Instructions

In a Large Bowl, add the tuna with its olive oil and ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Using a fork, break up the tuna into bite-size pieces, then gently toss in the beans and onions. Drizzle with the red wine vinegar and season with more salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the salad to plates and serve.