Easy Nicoise Salad

Gluten-Free Healthy Lunch Paleo Salads Supper

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This easy Nicoise Salad includes tuna in extra virgin olive oil, fingerling potatoes, soft-boiled eggs, salty olives, fresh green beans, and a simple vinaigrette. This post is brought to you in collaboration with StarKist Selects E.V.O.O.®.

A Niçoise Salad is the perfect example of something I like to have in my “Chef Bag of Tricks.”

Most people don’t really ever make it themselves because they think it’s too complicated. But it’s not.

In fact, a quick and easy Nicoise Salad is the perfect meal. It’s impressive enough to serve, because it’s simply stunning as a colorful composed salad. It’s simple, yet full of flavor. And it’s the perfect balance of flavors and textures — briny, sweet, soft, crisp, rich, fresh, hearty.

A Niçoise is the perfect “salad for dinner” salad. It’s full of protein, healthy fats, and some carbs to keep you full. This salad is satisfying, yet still healthy and light.

It’s even better when we use convenient and delicious StarKist Selects E.V.O.O.® Yellowfin Tuna, featuring Wild Caught tuna and cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil.

What is a Niçoise Salad?

Think of Salade Niçoise like the French version of American Cobb salad.

Traditionally, the salad includes anchovies, although it most commonly is made using tuna now. The Nicoise also typically includes hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, Niçoise olives, green beans, potatoes, and an olive oil vinaigrette.

There are dozens of variations out there, however.

When it comes to this salad, I stick with my basic “rules”:

include a mixture of greens (I like butter lettuce, romaine, and arugula)
make a quick and easy citrus-based vinaigrette to complement the seafood
use tuna or salmon, both are delicious
include some fresh, crisp veggies (like cucumber and green beans)
be generous with pickled, briny additions (I love olives, pickled red onion, and capers)
incorporate fresh herbs (I like to tear basil into large pieces)

How to Make a Quick and Easy Nicoise Salad

There are a few things that make this Nicoise Salad easier than most.

The eggs, green beans, and potatoes are all cooked in the same big pot of boiling water. This step can be done while you’re prepping everything else.

To make it even easier, go ahead and use store-bought hard-boiled eggs and/or microwaveable veggies.

Next, a four-ingredient vinaigrette comes together in literally seconds.

Finally, we use quick, easy, and delicious StarKist Selects E.V.O.O.® Yellowfin Tuna.

Busy weeknights and quick, balanced lunches: meet your new superstar. StarKist Selects E.V.O.O.® Pouches are packed in cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil with just a few simple ingredients.

StarKist Selects E.V.O.O.® Pouches feature three different flavors and varieties: StarKist Selects E.V.O.O.® Yellowfin Tuna, StarKist Selects E.V.O.O.® Yellowfin Tuna with Sun-dried Tomato, and StarKist Selects E.V.O.O.® Wild-Caught Pink Salmon. Both their tuna and salmon are Wild Caught.

A natural source of healthy fats and Omega 3s, the StarKist Selects E.V.O.O.® Pouches have become a staple in my I-only-have-three-minutes-to-make-a-healthy-lunch meals. All three varieties work wonderfully in this salad (you can even combine them!).

I hope that you make and enjoy this simple Nicoise Salad! This post is sponsored by StarKist Selects E.V.O.O.^®.