Rice Salad with Tuna and Green Beans — a Proper Summer Lunch
A hearty rice salad with tuna, green beans and black olives: fresh, well-balanced and ready in under 35 minutes, perfect for meal prep or a summer lunch on the go.
Looking for a rice salad with tuna and green beans that actually fills you up rather than leaving you wondering where the meal went?
You are in the right place. This is a fresh, well-structured one-dish salad that you can put on the table in under 35 minutes — and that travels brilliantly to the office, the beach or a picnic. Nothing complicated: it all comes together in one bowl, but a couple of small tricks make a real difference.
The key move is cooling the rice the moment it comes off the heat, spreading it out on a tray so the grains stay fluffy and separate instead of clumping together. That one step is what sets this apart from a stodgy, uninspiring rice salad.
Three things make this recipe genuinely practical: it improves with a rest in the fridge, which makes it ideal for meal prep; it is a complete, balanced plate combining carbohydrates, protein and vegetables; and it adapts easily to whatever you have to hand.
Want to take it up a notch? Stir in a tablespoon of well-rinsed capers or a handful of halved cherry tomatoes. For extra crunch, swap the black olives for green ones. Stored covered in the fridge, the salad keeps well for up to 24 hours — in fact it often tastes even better the next day, once the dressing has soaked in properly.
Ready to go? Let’s get started with this rice salad with tuna and green beans.
To make this recipe
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Digital kitchen scale
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Steps
- Cook the rice in well-salted boiling water, drain it and spread it out on a tray to cool quickly and keep the grains separate.
- Trim the green beans, boil them for 8 minutes until just tender, then cut them into even pieces.
- Tip the rice, flaked tuna, green beans, thinly sliced carrot and olives into a large bowl.
- Dress with olive oil, lemon juice and a little salt, then toss gently to combine.
Helpful tips
Before serving, rest the salad in the fridge for at least 20 minutes: the dressing soaks in and the flavours come together much better.
Spread the drained rice out on a wide tray straight away: the grains cool quickly and stay fluffy and separate instead of clumping.
Add a tablespoon of well-rinsed capers or a handful of halved cherry tomatoes for a bolder flavour.
Stored covered in the fridge, the salad keeps for up to 24 hours — often it tastes even better the next day.
Average nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 470 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- 52.0 g
- Sugars
- 4.0 g
- Protein
- 23.0 g
- Fat
- 17.0 g
- Saturated fat
- 2.6 g
- Fiber
- 3.0 g
- Sodium
- 520 mg
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