Last Updated May 21st, 2023 at 11:54 pm by Lisa
A healthier Tuna Salad loaded with crunchy celery, creamy avocado, basil, capers, kalamata olives, pepperoncini's, and sun-dried tomatoes. One of my favorite things about this recipe is it can be rolled up in a tortilla wrap, scooped in colorful bell pepper bowls, or put inside lettuce leaves for low carb lunches!
The mayonnaise is swapped out for avocado and Greek yogurt which becomes a more creamy texture than just mayo. Each bite is full of crunchy little tasty pops of Italian flavors, and it is so fresh and clean...
Healthier Tuna Salad Recipe
Swapping out the high fat and calories of traditional mayo is a healthier way to make this easy lunch recipe. When you combine the creaminess of the avocado and just a few tablespoons of Greek yogurt, it's a great substitute. This delicious tuna salad is loaded with crunchy vegetables and tons of flavor, no boring tuna salad here!
- 1 whole tortilla wraps Garden Spinach Mission Tortilla Wraps brand
- 1 whole bell pepper (red, green, or orange) Core, clean of seeds, sliced in half.
- 4 small 7 oz cans of albacore tuna water packed
- 1 ripe avocado
- 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons Italian parsley chopped
- ½ cup green onions scallions, chopped
- 3 tablespoons capers chopped
- 4 tablespoons kalamata olives chopped
- 3 tablespoons basil diced
- 3 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, chopped
- 2 tablespoons pepperoncini's chopped
- 2 tablespoons dill relish (or finely chopped dill pickles)
- 2 cups celery small dice
- 1 teaspoon celery salt try my recipe!
- 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- Remove the pit from the avocado and scoop the avocado halves into a small bowl. Add the Greek yogurt, and press the avocado with a fork to combine yogurt and blend them together. This is your creamy "mayo".
- Drain the water from the tuna, place the drained tuna into a medium bowl and break it into smaller pieces of tuna using a fork.
- Next, add all the ingredients into the bowl: parsley, green onions, capers, kalamata olives, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, pepperoncini's, dill pickle relish, celery, celery salt, and cracker pepper.
- Mix using a large spatula and combine tuna with all the ingredients.
- Scoop Italian Tuna Salad into half a large bell pepper, on lettuce wraps, or spread on a tortilla wrap and roll, and slice. Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Take a look at my recipe to make your own Sun Dried Tomatoes at home! They are such a fun project, and you can make them right in your oven or a dehydrator, your choice...
Use canned tuna that is solid white albacore tuna and water-packed. Wild Planet tuna is a great brand and is 100% sustainably pole and line, troll, or handline caught, nets are never used in their commercial fishing.
If the tuna can says safe catch, then you can be assured it meets Consumer Reports “Low Mercury” criteria set for pregnant and nursing women and young children.
Chunk light contains a mixture of lighter, milder, and generally a less-expensive kind of tuna, typically skipjack and yellowfin.
Healthier Tuna Salad Swaps
To make a healthy tuna salad, here are some more perfect substitutes to try that have fewer calories than traditional tuna salad recipes.
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- The most important thing to lower the fat and calories from a traditional recipe is to avoid ingredients like olive oil, sour cream, that cup of mayo some recipes call for, and miracle whip in a typical mayo tuna salad.
- The cup of mayo that you would normally use, is not needed as the avocado and small amount of Greek yogurt adds all the creaminess and good fats without as many calories!
- Spinach tortillas are so pretty, you can also try the red garden tomato ones, or regular plain ones work great. Or go for the low-carb wraps you prefer.
- One serving of this recipe has 28 grams of protein!
- This is a healthy meal that works any day of the week as a better option, and it is so different than plain old tuna salad.
- With a little bit of time, this meal prep recipe will have you set up to eat right for quick lunches.
- Another one of my personal go-to healthy recipes is to add this tuna recipe right onto a big green salad with a light Citrus Vinaigrette dressing.
- You can serve in large colorful bell pepper halves, or the colorful mini bell peppers cut in half to scoop this salad would be fun for lunch and the perfect substitute for bread.
- Swap out each piece of bread and create lettuce wraps. Wrap this tuna salad into Romaine or iceberg lettuce cups, for a crisp fresh snack or lunch.
- Many of the ingredients in this basic recipe have an Italian flair, you can add or swap things you have on hand or prefer like a finely chopped red onion, some Dijon mustard, onion powder, or fresh dill would all be great!
- Take this to work or have it with celery sticks for a clean healthy lunch.
- Swap in canned chicken and make a healthier chicken salad with the same ingredients!
- Add some hard-boiled eggs and make a tuna egg salad recipe.
- Use this recipe for a tuna melt sandwich! There are so many different ways to use tuna fish salad.
More Salad Recipes
Cobb Salad made famous in Hollywood at the Original Brown Derby restaurant is loaded with delicious toppings like tomato, chicken, crumbled bacon, avocado, chopped eggs, and topped with a special dressing.
Put this easy 7 Layer Salad together up to a day ahead, and have it ready to go to your party chilling in your fridge overnight complete with the dressing on top.
Yummy Taco Salad with lots of topping ideas, sides, and dressings. Works as lunch, family dinner, or party food for a large gathering!
People love this tasty beautiful summer Watermelon Salad and it is ideal to make ahead for potluck parties. Always a hit!
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Healthy Tuna Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Skinny Italian Tuna Salad
- 1 whole tortilla wraps Garden Spinach Mission Tortilla Wraps brand
- 1 whole bell pepper Red, Green, Orange. Core, clean of seeds, sliced in half.
- 4 small 7 oz cans albacore tuna water packed
- 1 ripe avocado
- 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons Italian parsley chopped
- ½ cup green onions scallions, chopped
- 3 tablespoons capers chopped
- 4 tablespoons kalamata olives chopped
- 3 tablespoons basil diced
- 3 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, chopped
- 2 tablespoons pepperoncinis chopped
- 2 tablespoons dill pickle relish
- 2 cups celery small dice
- 1 teaspoon celery salt try my recipe!
- 1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
Instructions
- Remove the pit from the avocado and scoop the avocado halves into a small bowl. Add the Greek yogurt, and press the avocado with a fork to combine yogurt and blend them together. This is your creamy "mayo".
- Drain the water from the tuna, place the drained tuna into a medium bowl and break into smaller pieces of tuna using a fork.
- Next, add all the ingredients into the bowl: parsley, green onions, capers, kalamata olives, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, pepperoncini's, dill pickle relish, celery, celery salt, and cracker pepper.
- Mix using a large spatula and combine tuna with all the ingredients.
- Scoop Italian Tuna Salad into half a large bell pepper, on lettuce wraps, or spread on a tortilla wrap and roll, and slice. Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
Healthier Tuna Salad Swaps
To make a healthy tuna salad, here are some more perfect substitutes to try that have fewer calories than traditional tuna salad recipes.- The most important thing to lower the fat and calories that are loaded into a traditional recipe is to avoid ingredients like olive oil, sour cream, that cup of mayo some recipes call for, and miracle whip in typical mayo tuna salad.
- The cup of mayo that you would normally use, is not needed as the avocado and small amount of Greek yogurt adds all the creaminess and good fats without as many calories!
- Spinach tortillas are so pretty, you can also try the garden tomato ones, or regular plain ones work great. Or go for the low-carb wraps you prefer.
- One serving of this recipe has 28 grams of protein!
- This is a healthy meal that works any day of the week as a better option.
- With a little bit of time, this meal prep recipe will have you set up to eat right for quick lunches.
- Another one of my personal go-to healthy recipes is to add this tuna recipe right onto a big green salad with a light Citrus Vinaigrette dressing.
- You can serve in large colorful bell pepper halves, or the colorful mini bell peppers would be fun for lunch and the perfect substitute for bread.
- Swap out each piece of bread and create lettuce wraps. Wrap this tuna salad into iceberg lettuce cups, for a crisp fresh snack.
- Many of the ingredients in this basic recipe have an Italian flair, you can add or swap things you have on hand or prefer like a finely chopped red onion, some Dijon mustard, onion powder, or fresh dill would all be great!
- Take this to work or have it with celery sticks for a clean healthy lunch.
- Swap in canned chicken and make a healthier chicken salad with the same ingredients!
- Add some hard-boiled eggs and make a tuna egg salad recipe.
- Use this recipe for a tuna melt sandwich! There are so many different ways to use tuna fish salad.
This tuna salad had such amazing flavor and so easy to make! Everyone enjoyed it on Sun dried tomato low carb wraps!
The best tuna salad! Lisa, you are right, nothing boring about this recipe. We all love it!
I just made a half portion of this recipe to see if it would be good and I think I will need,to make the rest! This was absolutely beyond my expectations. I thought I t might be too tart or sour, but, the minimal dressing, mixed with the small amount of capers, and the fresh herbs and veggies and was absolutely a perfect balance. It is remarkably mouth watering!