Tuna Butterbean Salad

Jamie Oliver’s 5 ingredients book is useful to have around when you’re pushed for time or short of ingredients. I recently tried his Tuna Butter Bean Salad when struggling for inspiration one lunchtime and it did the job.

You may note that the recipe’s weight in grams for the tuna in olive oil and the jar of butter beans are larger than standard sizes. I just used regular tins for both and the serving for 2 people is more than generous. While the concept of ‘5 ingredients’ is handy, it can also be restrictive. This salad felt a little dry and bland towards the end but you can easily ‘tart’ it up by adding a low-fat salad dressing, for example.

Recipe: Tuna Butter Bean Salad

Calories: 362 per portion

Serves: 2

Book: Jamie Oliver – 5 ingredients

Prep time: Approx 15 minutes

Cooking time: Approx 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• ½ red onion
• 1 celery heart
• ½ a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley (15g)
• ½ x 660g jar of butter beans
• 1 x 220g jar of tuna in olive oil
• Red wine vinegar
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

Cost per portion: Approx £1.90

Method: Peel the red onion and slice it as finely as you can. In a large bowl, scrunch it with ½ a tablespoon of red wine vinegar and a little pinch of sea salt. Trim and finely slice the celery and pile on top of the onion. Finely slice the parsley stalks, add to the bowl, then pick over the leaves.

Drain the beans and place in a single layer in a hot non-stick frying pan on a medium-high heat with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Have faith, let them crisp up and get golden on the bottom, then turn so they crisp up on the other side.

Drizzle 1 tablespoon each of extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar over the onion salad, drain and flake in the tuna, then gently toss it all together. Divide the popped beans between your plates, pile the salad on top and sprinkle from a height with a good pinch of black pepper, then tuck in.