When you are looking for a healthy dinner that feels fancy but comes together fast, a classic Niçoise salad is the answer. Think tuna, crisp vegetables, and tender potatoes, all dressed in a zingy French vinaigrette.
This Mediterranean gem has become one of our family’s favorite quick meals. When you have busy day and want to avoid another takeout dinner it is a lifesaver!
I love that most of the ingredients come straight from the pantry or fridge, and it is easy to prep ahead of time. My version strikes the perfect balance between fresh and convenient.
While traditional Niçoise salads might call for searing fresh tuna, I find that good-quality canned tuna works beautifully for busy weeknights. The combination of protein-rich tuna, filling potatoes, and crisp vegetables creates a satisfying yet light dish.
If you’ve shied away from “fancy” salads before, thinking they’re too fussy or won’t fill up your family, this recipe will change your mind. The prep is simple – just boil a few eggs and potatoes, chop some vegetables, and toss it all together.
I’ll walk you through exactly how to put together this French-inspired salad, with plenty of make-ahead tips to fit your busy schedule. This salad is perfect for a light lunch, a fancy brunch, or a weeknight dinner when you want something fresh and flavorful.
Looking for more easy main dish recipes? Try fish taco salad bowls, air fryer peri peri chicken, or honey sesame chicken.
🥘Ingredient Notes
For exact amounts needed see the recipe card below
For the salad:
- Baby potatoes: Any small, waxy variety will work fine.
- Green beans
- Romaine lettuce
- Cherry tomatoes
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Kalamata olives
- Tuna: Use good quality tuna packed in olive oil for this salad.
For the lemon dressing, you will need:
- Lemon juice
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Salt
- Dijon mustard
- Parsley
- Black pepper
🥣How to Make Niçoise Salad
- First, let’s cook those potatoes. Scrub them, then toss them into a pot of salted water. Bring it to a boil and let them simmer until tender when pierced with a fork. Drain them, let them cool a bit, then slice them in half.
- While the potatoes are cooking, blanch the green beans. Bring another pot of salted water to a boil, then add the beans. Let them cook for just a couple of minutes until they’re bright green and tender-crisp. Drain and immediately rinse them under cold water to stop the cooking process. Pat them dry with a kitchen towel.
- Take a large platter or salad bowl and start by laying down a bed of romaine lettuce. Then, arrange your cooked potatoes, blanched green beans, halved cherry tomatoes, quartered hard-boiled eggs, kalamata olives, and chunks of tuna on top.
- Now for the best part: that zesty lemon Nicoise dressing. Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, sea salt, Dijon mustard, chopped parsley, and a few cracks of black pepper in a small bowl or jar. Taste it and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Drizzle the dressing all over your beautiful salad and toss to combine.
🍴Serving Ideas
A gorgeous Niçoise salad deserves a little extra TLC when it comes to presentation! Your best friend will be a large, shallow serving dish or salad bowl.
You want something broad enough to show off all those beautiful layers and colors but not so deep that everything gets lost in the mix. Use a big white platter or a wooden serving board for a rustic, chic vibe.
When arranging the salad, I keep things casual and messy. I let the ingredients fall where they may—it adds to the effortless, just-thrown-together look that makes this salad so appealing.
As for serving portions, this salad is hearty enough to be a main course for 4-6 people. If you’re serving it as a side dish or as part of a larger spread, you could easily stretch it to feed 8-10.
I always like to have a little extra dressing on the side for those who like their salad with a little more zing. Just keep it in a small pitcher or jar on the table, and let your guests drizzle on some extra.
💭How to Store
It is best to store the salad and dressing separately. If you don’t expect to eat the whole salad, add the dressing to the serving bowls, not the platter. If you have any leftover salad, simply transfer it to an airtight container and put it in the fridge.
It should keep for up to 5 days, although the lettuce starts to lose its crunch after about 3 days. When you’re ready to enjoy your salad again, give it a quick toss with the dressing and dig in.
🥬Make Ahead Tips
You can easily prep the components ahead of time so that you can quickly throw this together for dinner when you are short on time. Boil the potatoes and blanch the green beans up to two days in advance. Then, store them in separate airtight containers in the fridge until you’re ready to use them.
You can hard-boil the eggs up to one week in advance. Use your Instant Pot, air fryer, or make them the old fashioned way on the stove top. Keep them unpeeled in the fridge until you’re ready to quarter them for the salad.
Wash and chop the lettuce, halve the cherry tomatoes, and pit the olives up to 1 day in advance. Store them separately in the fridge until you assemble the salad.
The lemon Nicoise dressing can be made up to one week in advance. Store it in a jar with a tight-fitting lid in the fridge, and give it a good shake before drizzling it over the salad.
⭐Tips
Be sure to check out the step by step instructions
- Tuna is traditional in a Niçoise salad, but you can change up the protein. For a vegetarian twist, swap in some grilled salmon, chicken, tofu, or chickpeas.
- Add some extra crunch with a sprinkle of toasted pine nuts, almonds, or crispy fried capers.
- Don’t skimp on the quality of your ingredients. Since this salad has so few components, each one really shines through. Spring for the good olive oil, the fancy olives, and the freshest produce you can find.
- This salad is best enjoyed freshly dressed, so hold off on adding the dressing until just before serving.
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Niçoise Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 5-6 baby potatoes boiled and halved
- 1 cup green beans trimmed and blanched
- 3 cups romaine lettuce
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 3-4 hard-boiled eggs peeled and quartered
- ¼ cup kalamata olives halved
- 1 can chunk of tuna in oil 10 ounces drained
Lemon Nicoise Dressing
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
- Ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the baby potatoes in a large pot with salted water until tender. Drain, cool, and cut them in half.5-6 baby potatoes
- Blanch the green beans in salted boiling water until tender-crisp. Immediately drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process. Pat dry with a kitchen towel.1 cup green beans
- Arrange the romaine lettuce on a large salad plate. Layer the potatoes, green beans, cherry tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, kalamata olives, and tuna on top.3 cups romaine lettuce, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, 3-4 hard-boiled eggs, ¼ cup kalamata olives, 1 can chunk of tuna in oil
- Combine the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, sea salt, Dijon mustard, parsley, and cracked black pepper in a small bowl or jar. Mix well.1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice, 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon chopped parsley, Ground black pepper
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad, toss gently, and serve immediately.
Notes
- Tuna is traditional in a Niçoise salad, but you can change up the protein. For a vegetarian twist, swap in some grilled salmon, chicken, tofu, or chickpeas.
- This serves 4 as a main dish or 8-10 as a side dish.
- Add some extra crunch with a sprinkle of toasted pine nuts, almonds, or crispy fried capers.
- Don’t skimp on the quality of your ingredients. Since this salad has so few components, each one really shines through. Spring for the good olive oil, the fancy olives, and the freshest produce you can find.
- This salad is best enjoyed freshly dressed, so hold off on adding the dressing until just before serving.
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Nutrition Information
Nutrition facts are estimates.
