Quick answer: This Mediterranean tuna pasta salad has about 30 grams of protein and 570 calories per serving, and takes about 25 minutes. Instead of mayonnaise it uses an olive oil and lemon vinaigrette, with white beans, feta and Kalamata olives doing the flavor work. Serves 4. Sodium runs high, about 810 mg per serving — feta and olives are both salty, and there’s a section on that below.
This is the Mediterranean cousin of High Protein Tuna Pasta Salad — same idea of skipping mayo, completely different execution. No dairy-based dressing here; instead, olive oil, lemon and a genuinely generous amount of herbs carry the whole bowl, the way a classic Greek or Italian pasta salad would.
Why This Recipe Has About 30 Grams of Protein
| Source | Per serving |
| Whole wheat pasta, dry (57 g) | 7.4 g |
| Canned tuna, drained (55 g) | 10.7 g |
| Cannellini beans, rinsed (87.5 g) | 6.6 g |
| Feta (30 g) | 4.3 g |
| Everything else | 0.9 g |
| Total | 29.9 g |
Four sources instead of the usual two — tuna and beans carry most of it, with feta adding the last few grams that push it comfortably past 25.
A Note on Sodium
This recipe carries about 810 mg of sodium per serving, roughly 35% of the WHO’s 2,300 mg daily limit — one of the highest in the Tuna cluster. Feta and Kalamata olives are both intensely salty on their own, and this recipe has both.
- Feta: ~335 mg
- Canned tuna: ~138 mg
- Kalamata olives: ~233 mg
- Cannellini beans (rinsed): ~131 mg
- Everything else: ~23 mg
What helps: rinsing the beans removes a meaningful chunk of their sodium already accounted for above. Cutting the olives back further, or leaving them out entirely, is the single biggest lever left if you want this noticeably lower — feta is harder to reduce without losing the dish’s identity.
What You Need
Makes 4 servings
- 2 cans (5 oz / 142 g each) light tuna in water, drained (about 220 g drained total)
- 8 oz (227 g) whole wheat fusilli or farfalle, dry
- 1 can (15 oz / 425 g) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (about 350 g)
- 120 g feta, crumbled
- 60 g Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
- 200 g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
How to Make It
- Cook the pasta in well-salted water until al dente, drain, rinse briefly under cold water, and let cool.
- Rinse the cannellini beans thoroughly under running water.
- Whisk the dressing: olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano and red wine vinegar.
- Drain the tuna and flake it into a large bowl with the cooled pasta, beans, tomatoes and olives.
- Toss with the dressing, then fold in the feta last so it stays in chunks rather than dissolving.
Tips
Rinse the beans even if the can says “no salt added.” Canning liquid carries a metallic edge regardless.
Add the feta at the very end. Tossed too early, it breaks down into the dressing instead of staying as distinct pieces.
Substitutions
Feta: goat cheese works, with a sharper tang. Beans: chickpeas instead of cannellini, firmer texture. Olives: capers if you’d rather skip whole olives — still salty, so it won’t lower sodium.
Storage
Up to 3 days refrigerated. Actually improves slightly on day two as the pasta absorbs more of the dressing. Not suitable for freezing.
Tuna Pasta Salad Without Mayo
Ingredients
Method
- Cook the pasta, drain, rinse, and cool completely.
- Rinse the beans thoroughly.
- Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano and vinegar.
- Combine pasta, tuna, beans, tomatoes and olives with the dressing.
- Fold in the feta last.
Notes
- High sodium recipe (~810 mg/serving), reduce or omit olives to bring it down.
- Keeps 3 days refrigerated.
Nutrition
Per serving (recipe makes 4):
| Calories | 570 |
| Protein | 30 g |
| Sodium | 810 mg |
Verified against the Tuna nutrition workbook, calculated ingredient-by-ingredient from USDA FoodData Central reference values.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is this different from the High Protein Tuna Pasta Salad?
That version uses a cottage cheese dressing; this one is entirely dairy-light aside from the feta, built on an olive oil and lemon vinaigrette instead.
Can I use a different cheese?
Goat cheese is a good substitute, with a sharper flavor and similar saltiness.
How do I lower the sodium?
Cut back or skip the olives — they’re the largest lever after feta, which is harder to reduce without losing the dish’s character.
Does this taste good cold from the fridge?
Yes — bring it out about 10 minutes before eating so the olive oil isn’t dull straight from the fridge.
More High Protein Tuna Recipes
Part of the growing Tuna collection, alongside High Protein Tuna Pasta Salad and Cottage Cheese Tuna Salad.
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