This White Bean Tuna Orzo Solves Tonight’s Dinner — and Tomorrow’s Lunch — Problem

White Bean Tuna Orzo

This might be my most-made make-ahead lunch salad. It can be found on repeat almost every other week, and it’s incredibly satisfying and delicious.

I ate a lot of tuna growing up. My mom was the queen of tuna sandwiches and I loved them. These days, I still love tuna but am always looking for other ways to enjoy it. Serving it in a different way has been a game changer for mykids, too. We all go crazy over this orzo!

One of the best parts about this recipe is that you can make a very large portion and it will last. This is a fantastic straight-from-the-fridge meal and it stays good for days. I’ll either keep it in a large bowl or portion it out, and I serve it a few different ways, too. I like this as a salad topping, piled high on a bed of greens. And sometimes I scoop it into lettuce cups or wraps, which adds an additional refreshing crunch.

Satiating and simple. Gotta love that.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup dry orzo

• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 2 garlic cloves, minced or grated

• 1⁄3 cup chopped roasted red peppers, plus 1 tablespoon oil from the jar

• 1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• Kosher salt and black pepper

• 1 (14-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 (5-ounce) can tuna packed in water, drained

• 1⁄3 cup chopped fresh herbs, like dill, parsley, and/or chives

• 1⁄4 cup Quick Pickled Onions

STEPS

1. Cook the orzo according to the package directions. Once finished, transfer the orzo to a large bowl.

2. Whisk together the vinegar, mustard, garlic, the oil from the roasted red peppers, the olive oil, and a big pinch of salt and pepper.

3. Drizzle half of the dressing over the orzo. Add the beans, tuna, roasted red peppers, herbs, and pickled onions and mix together. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and serve. This stays good in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

10-MINUTE MEAL PREP: The orzo can be cooked ahead of time and stored in the fridge. The dressing can also be made beforehand and kept in the fridge. The beans can be rinsed ahead of time and the peppers can be chopped, too.

Easy Everyday by Jessica Merchant

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Excerpted from Easy Everyday by Jessica Merchant. Copyright © 2025 by Jessica Merchant. Used by permission of Rodale Books, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.  All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.