Cannellini Bean Salad (with Tuna and Peperoncini)

This Cannellini Bean Salad has tuna, peperoncini, and parsley, with a fresh lemony dressing that has peperoncini brine to give it a kick! And this extra-flavorful no-cook bean salad is perfect to keep in the fridge and pull out for a tasty lunch when it’s too hot to cook.

PIN the Cannellini Bean Salad to try it later!

This favorite Cannellini Bean Salad is a delicious no-cook salad that’s made with lots of tuna, peperoncini, and parsley, and only one can of beans! And I updated the recipe to be a more carb-conscious bean salad that’s something I’d eat the summer when I want a healty lunch, but it’s too hot to cook! If you check the nutritional information, I bet this bean salad is a lot lower in carbs than you think!

If you’re someone who’d enjoy a bean salad that’s made with lots of lower-carb ingredients I hope you consider trying this favorite Cannellini Bean Salad, especially if you’re a fan of canned tuna packed in olive oil and spicy peperoncini peppers like I am!

Of course I know some of my readers will never want a salad with beans, so if you’re in that no-beans category, just ignore this recipe and check out my collection of Favorite Keto Summer Salad! And whatever type of salad you prefer, it’s definitely salad season, so enjoy!

What ingredients do you need for this salad?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)

• fresh-squeezed lemon juice , I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice
• peperoncini juice, the brine from the jar of Sliced Peperoncini Peppers (affiliate link)
• extra-virgin Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• can of Cannellini beans (or any type of white beans)
• two cans tuna, preferably Genova Tuna Packed in Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• Sliced Peperoncini Peppers (affiliate link)
• chopped parsley (more or less to taste)

What are Cannellini Beans?

Cannellini Beans are the largest type of white beans. Because of their shape they’re sometimes called white kidney beans. They have a mild flavor and hold their shape well in a salad like this.

What are Peperoncini Peppers?

Peperoncini Peppers are sweet mild chili peppers used in Italian or Greek cuisines, and they’re usually sold pickled in a jar. Look for Sliced Peperoncini Peppers (affiliate link) if you want to make this salad easier to make! And if you look around the web you’ll find it’s spelled pepperoncini and peperoncini, and I use it in both ways depending on how it’s spelled on the bottle I currently have in my fridge!

What parsley did I use for the Cannellini Bean Salad?

You can definitely make this salad with flat Italian parsley, but I love curly parsley to add texture to salads and that’s what I used here.

How low in carbs is this Cannellini Bean Salad?

I do love the new carb-conscious version of this salad with fewer beans and more tuna and peperonicini, and it only has 15 net carbs per serving and 17 grams of protein!

How to Make Cannellini Bean Salad:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Empty canned beans into a colander placed in the sink and rinse well with cold water and let the beans drain.
2. While the beans are draining, whisk together lemon juice, peperoncini juice, olive oil, and a bit of salt and fresh ground black pepper to make the dressing.
3. Then mix the drained beans with a few tablespoons of dressing so the beans can marinate while you prep the other ingredients.
4. I drained the two cans of Genova Tuna Packed in Olive Oil (affiliate link) in the same colander I used to drain the beans.
5. I used a whole cup of chopped parsley and a cup of sliced Peperoncini, but you can use less of either one if you prefer. (I have a big jar of Sliced Peperoncini Peppers (affiliate link) which inspires me to use them generously. See instructions in the complete recipe if you have whole Peperoncini and need to slice them.
6. Gently combine the marinated beans and drained tuna.
7. Then gently stir in the chopped parsley and chopped Peperoncini.
8. Stir in the rest of the dressing, or desired amount until the salad seems wet enough for you.
9. Serve the Cannellini Bean Salad at room temperature or slightly chilled.

Make it a Carb-Conscious Meal:

You could eat the Cannellini Bean Salad alone for a light summer lunch, but if you want a more substantial meal it would be great with any of these low-carb side dishes:

• Cucumbers Caesar
• Greek Salad with Peppers
• Sweet and Sour Cucumber Salad
• Fattoush Lebanese Salad
• Al’s Famous Hungarian Cucumber Salad

Want more salads with Peperoncini Peppers?

Check out Favorite Pepperoncini Salad Recipes if you’re also a fan of those spicy peppers that are so often used in salads!

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Yield: 6 servings

Cannellini Bean Salad (with Tuna and Peperoncini)

Prep Time 20 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

This Cannellini Bean Salad has lots of tuna and Peperoncini and only one can of beans, for a more carb-conscious version of this favorite salad.

Ingredients

• 2 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice (or more)
• 1 T peperoncini juice (brine from the jar of peperoncini)
• 5 T extra-virgin olive oil
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1 can (15.5 oz.) Cannellini beans (or use any type of white beans)
• two 5 oz. cans tuna packed in olive oil, drained
• 1 cup sliced Peperoncini peppers (more or less to taste)
• 1 cup chopped parsley (more or less to taste)

Instructions

1. Put the beans into a colander placed in the sink, rinse well with cold water (until no more foam appears) then let beans drain (or blot dry with paper towels if you’re in a hurry!)
2. Whisk together the lemon juice, Peperoncini brine, and olive oil, then add salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. (I used a generous amount of pepper, but not much salt.)
3. Combine the drained beans with 2-3 T of dressing and let marinate (in a bowl big enough for the whole salad) while you prep the other ingredients.
4. Drain olive oil from the tuna and discard.
5. Wash parsley, spin dry or dry with paper towels, then finely chop.
6. If you're using whole peperoncini cut off stem end and discard, drain peperoncini in a colander, squeeze out seeds and discard seeds, and finely chop or slice. I splurge for
7. Sliced Peperoncini Peppers (affiliate link), so I just measure out the amount I want, which was a full cup for this salad.
8. Mix the drained tuna into the marinating beans.,
9. Add chopped parsley and chopped or sliced Peperoncini and gently combine.
10. Add additional dressing until the salad seems wet enough to you.
11. Season to taste with additional salt and fresh ground black pepper if desired, and serve.
12. This can be served room temperature or chilled.
13. This salad will stay good in the refrigerator for a day or two, and would be great for a lunch salad.

Notes

I used Genova Tuna Packed in Olive Oil (affiliate link) but use any tuna you prefer.

I can think of a lot of other things you could add to this salad including diced red onion, chopped kalamata olives, chopped red bell pepper, or chopped cucumber. If anyone tries some of those variations, I’d love to hear how you liked them.

Recipe created by Kalyn as a variation of White Bean Salad with Tuna and Parsley, a summer lunch favorite for years.

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 258Total Fat 14gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 12gCholesterol 22mgSodium 581mgCarbohydrates 18gFiber 3gSugar 10gProtein 17g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This Cannellini Bean Salad is a perfect lunch salad or side dish salad for any phase of the original South Beach Diet, or any type of low-glycemic eating plan. Salads with beans are generally too high in carbs for a low-carb diet plan, but this carb-conscious bean salad has only 15 net carbs per serving, so it may work for some low-carb eaters but not for Keto.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use the Salads Index to find more healthy salads like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This salad with Cannellini beans, tuna, and peperoncini was first posted in 2010. It was last updated with more information in 2025.

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