High-Protein Tuna and White Bean Bowls

This is the prep you make when Sunday got away from you. No pan, no oven, fifteen minutes standing at the counter with a can opener. Canned tuna, white beans, and hard-boiled eggs stack up to 43g of protein per container for 475 calories, and unlike most preps this one actually improves by Tuesday as the beans soak up the dressing. Keep the dressing separate anyway so the cucumber stays crisp.

Ingredients

• 4 (5 oz) cans chunk light tuna in water, drained well
• 1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, halved
• 1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta (about 2.5 oz)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lemon (zest and juice)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 English cucumber, diced
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
• 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced

Instructions

1. Whisk the Greek yogurt, olive oil, lemon zest and juice, dill, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper into a pourable dressing. Thin it with a tablespoon of water if it clings to the whisk.
2. Press the drained tuna against the side of the can with a fork to squeeze out the last of the water, then flake it into large chunks rather than shredding it to paste.
3. Toss the cannellini beans and red onion with 2 tablespoons of the dressing and let them sit while you build everything else. This is the only part that benefits from marinating.
4. Divide the beans among four containers, then add the tuna, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and feta in separate sections so nothing bleeds into anything else.
5. Set two hard-boiled egg halves in each container, cut side up, and portion the remaining dressing into four 2 oz cups.
6. Refrigerate up to 4 days and eat cold straight from the container. Pour the dressing on right before eating, not before.

Tips

• Squeeze the tuna dry, then flake it in big chunks. Water left in the can dilutes the dressing into gray liquid, and over-shredded tuna turns pasty against the yogurt.
• Chunk light tuna is the right call here over albacore. It is lower in mercury, which matters if you eat this weekly, and it costs less. You give up about 8g of protein per can, which the beans and eggs cover.
• If you want this to hit 50g, add 1/2 cup of cottage cheese per container in place of the feta. You gain 8g of protein and lose about 90 calories, though you also lose the salty bite.

FAQ

How much protein is in a can of tuna?

A drained 5 oz can of chunk light packs about 22g, while solid white albacore runs closer to 30g. Both numbers assume you drain the water off, since that liquid is a meaningful share of the can weight.

Is it safe to eat canned tuna every day?

Chunk light tuna is low enough in mercury that most guidance puts the limit around three to four servings a week for adults. Rotate in salmon or sardines rather than eating tuna daily.

How long do hard-boiled eggs last in meal prep?

A week in the shell, about four days once peeled and cut. Since these are halved and exposed, treat the whole container as a four-day prep.

Can I use canned salmon instead?

Yes, and it is a good swap. Four 5 oz cans of pink salmon give roughly the same protein with more omega-3s. Pick out the larger bones if the texture bothers you, though the soft ones are edible.

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