This easy sheet pan Tuna Nicoise Salad recipe is a simple salad with roasted red potatoes and green beans, olives, hard-boiled eggs, fresh tomatoes, and tuna in a delightful lemon vinaigrette. Delicious light dinner for warm summer months or anytime.
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This Tuna Nicoise Salad (pronounced "NEES-wahz") is a delicious and hearty fresh salad that comes together quickly and easily with roasted vegetables, canned tuna, cherry tomatoes, boiled eggs, and a simple vinaigrette.
It's the perfect summer salad to enjoy as a meal or a side dish.
What is a Niçoise Salad?
A Niçoise salad is a classic French salad that originated in the city of Nice, France in the 19th century.
The original version of salad Niçoise was made from tomatoes, anchovies, and olive oil but has evolved over time to include other ingredients like hard-boiled eggs, olives, potatoes, green beans, and canned tuna or fresh tuna steaks.
A classic Niçoise salad recipe is often served as a composed salad arranged on a large platter, but can also be tossed in a bowl.
What should and should not be included in a Nicoise salad seems to be a subject of hot debate among purists. You can read more about that here.
Why You're Going to Love This Recipe
- Perfect for a side salad or main meal
- Budget-friendly recipe that tastes like a million bucks
- Easy sheet pan dinner recipe
- Delicious meal with simple ingredients
Try these delicious summer salad recipes next! Caprese Spinach & Arugula Salad, Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad, Mediterranean Orzo Salad, and Watermelon Cucucmber Salad
Ingredients
New potatoes. Baby potatoes are excellent in salads because the flesh is tender and creamy and the skin is thin so you don't have to peel them. I like baby red potatoes, but you can use any variety of baby potatoes like baby Yukon golds or fingerling potatoes.
Fresh green beans. You can also use haricot verts (French green beans), which are longer and thinner and more tender and flavorful than regular green beans. But they can be hard to find -- and more expensive.
Boiled eggs. The eggs in a classic salade Nicoise are often soft-boiled for 6-7 minutes. If you prefer firmer boiled eggs, cook them for 8-10 minutes.
Tuna in oil. Tuna packed in oil has a softer texture and is more flavorful than tuna in water.
Kalamata olives. Traditional salade Niçoise recipes call for Niçoise olives, which are small, ripe, black olives. However, they are not easy to find. Kalamata olives are a great stand-in.
Parsley. Fresh herbs add bright herbaceousness to the salad. You can use parsley, basil, tarragon (yum!), chives, or whatever fresh herbs you have.
Salad greens. Serve tuna Nicoise salad on a bed of spring mix, romaine, or Boston, Bibb, or butter lettuce.
Variations
Anchovies. Anchovies are a traditional ingredient in a Nicoise salad. If you enjoy the flavor, consider adding a few anchovy fillets into the salad or salad dressing.
Fresh tuna. If you prefer, serve your tuna Nicoise salad with slices of lightly seared fresh tuna instead of canned tuna.
Vegetables. Feel free to add fresh vegetables like sliced cucumbers, radishes, artichoke hearts, or sliced bell peppers for color, texture, and more flavor.
Capers. Capers are delicious on a Nicoise salad.
How to Make a Sheet Pan Tuna Nicoise Salad
1. Make the hard boiled eggs.
Place eggs in a large saucepan and add enough water to cover the eggs with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil, turn burner off, and keep the pan on the burner. Cover with the lid and let the eggs sit for 6-7 minutes (for jammy eggs) or 8-10 minutes (for firmer eggs). Drain hot water and add cold water to pan. Let eggs sit in cold water until cool enough to peel and halve.
2. Roast the potatoes, green beans, and olives.
While the eggs are cooking ...
Place potatoes on a sheet pan and toss in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake cut side down until browned, about 15 minutes. Move them to one side of the pan.
Place green beans and olives on the sheet pan and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake 10-12 minutes.
3. Make the Nicoise salad dressing.
While the potatoes and green beans are cooking ...
Place the lemon juice, Dijon mustard, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl or mason jar. Whisk or shake the dressing ingredients together until combined.
4. Assemble the salad.
Arrange salad greens and herbs on a platter (or divide among plates). Arrange potatoes, green beans, olives, tomatoes, eggs, and tuna on the bed of lettuce.
Drizzle with the dressing, and top with chopped herbs and fresh cracked black pepper.
Make Ahead
Sheet pan Tuna Nicoise salad can be partially made ahead of time by boiling the eggs and making the dressing the day before.
Success Tips
- Cut the potatoes into uniform sizes so they roast evenly.
- For the best flavor and texture, use the best quality tuna in oil you can afford.
FAQs
Yes, you can use fresh tuna instead of canned tuna in your Niçoise salad. Cook the tuna to your desired doneness (medium-rare is ideal), cut it into slices, and add it to the salad.
Traditionally, Boston or Bibb lettuce is used in Niçoise salad. However, you can use other lettuce varieties like Romaine or mixed greens if you prefer. Choose a lettuce that provides a good base and texture for the salad.
Absolutely! Niçoise salad is versatile, and you can customize it to your liking. Feel free to add or substitute ingredients based on your preferences. Some common variations include the addition of artichoke hearts, radishes, or capers.
Stuff I Use
Nordic Ware aluminum sheet pans are perfect for everything from baking cookies, chicken, and fish to catching drips from chocolate-covered goodies.
Mason jars are great for shaking up and storing homemade salad dressings and marinades.
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Tuna Niçoise Salad
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 12 ounces baby red potatoes, halved or quartered
- 8 ounces fresh green beans
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cans tuna in oil
- 5 ounces salad greens
- ½ cup kalamata or Nicoise olives
- ½ cup parsley or other fresh herbs
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
Niçoise Salad Dressing
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cloved garlic, minced
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425.
- Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil, turn burner off, and keep the pan on the burner. Cover with a lid and let eggs sit for 6-7 minutes (jammy eggs) or 8-10 minutes (firmer eggs). Drain hot water and add cold water to pan. Let eggs sit in cold water until cool enough to peel and halve.
- Roast potatoes and green beans while eggs are cooking. Toss potatoes, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, and pepper on a sheet pan. Arrange potatoes cut side down. Bake until browned, about 15 minutes. Move them to one side of the pan.
- Toss green beans, olives, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, and pepper on the sheet pan. Bake 10-12 minutes.
- Make dressing while potatoes and green beans are cooking. Place lemon juice, Dijon mustard, 3 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl or mason jar. Whisk or shake until combined.
- Arrange lettuce and herbs on a platter (or divide among plates). Arrange potatoes, green beans, olives, tomatoes, eggs, and tuna on top. Drizzle with the dressing.
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