Upgrade your lunches this week with this High Fiber, No Mayo Tuna Salad, a delicious, whole-food rework of a household staple. Traditional tuna salads are typically heavy on mayo, which adds extra saturated fat without providing much nutrition. This new version swaps mayo for a creamy mixture of low-fat cottage cheese and canned white beans. By incorporating cannellini or Great Northern beans, you instantly boost the fiber content, turning a quick lunch into a deeply satisfying, gut-healthy meal that keeps your blood sugar stable throughout the afternoon.
Versatility is where this recipe truly shines, fitting easily into any day. You can prep a batch ahead of time and let the flavors meld in the fridge for an effortless meal planning option. Enjoy it melted on whole-grain toast with a slice of sharp cheddar cheese for a warm open-faced tuna melt, scoop it into sweet bell pepper halves for a low-carb crunch, or serve it over a bed of leafy greens. It’s a simple, healthy, and proves you don't need mayo to create a rich, satisfying tuna salad!
High Fiber, No Mayo Tuna Salad
Upgrade your lunches this week with this High Fiber, No Mayo Tuna Salad, a delicious, whole-food rework of a household staple.
Ingredients
- 1 can (5 oz / 140g) light tuna, yellowfin or skipjack tuna, drained in water or olive oil (don’t drain)
- ½ cup canned cannellini or great northern beans, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup low-fat cottage cheese (option: blend for a completely smooth, mayo-like texture, but it gets mixed in and smashed pretty well without blending)
- ½ cup diced celery or cucumber
- ¼ - ½ cup finely diced red onion or green onions (or ½ - 1tsp onion powder)
- 3 tbsp sweet relish made without high fructose syrup or diced bread & butter pickles, or dill pickles
- Fresh dill to taste (optional)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, add drained tuna (if in water), rinsed white beans, cottage cheese, celery, onion (or onion powder), and relish/pickles.
- Use a fork to mix ingredients while smashing the beans.
- Taste and add dill (optional), salt, and pepper to taste.
- Add to a whole-grain piece of toast, then top with a thin slice of quality cheddar cheese and broil until bubbling and slightly browned, or chill tuna salad for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors meld.
- Serve over a bed of leafy greens, scoop into halved sweet bell peppers, or serve with whole-grain crackers like Hint of Salt Triscuits and enjoy!
