Easy, Classic Niçoise Salad with Variations

This kid-friendly Classic Niçoise Salad recipe with a homemade honey-mustard dressing celebrates the best of summer’s ingredients with a healthy dose of vegetables and protein.

This recipe appeared in the August Meal Plan of Emma Frisch’s Substack newsletter, Time For Dins. To see all meal plans, head to the Meal Plan Index.

This classic Niçoise Salad recipe is not only a feast for the eyes but also a perfect medley of flavors and nutrition. This traditional French salad combines fresh summer vegetables, protein-packed tuna or anchovies, green beans, baby potatoes, cherry tomatoes, olives, capers, lettuce, and cucumbers – tied together with a creamy honey-mustard dressing.

Why You’ll Love This Healthy Niçoise Salad

This healthy Niçoise Salad is perfect for busy parents and families with a range of appetites and dietary preferences, allowing each person to pick and choose their favorite combination of ingredients (of course I like them all together!). It’s also quick and easy to prepare, and typically yields leftovers. In other words, if you’re a meal prep person, this recipe will become a fixture in your meal rotation!

You’ll Need These Ingredients

• 1 head lettuce
• 1 pint (551ml) cherry tomatoes
• 24 oz (680g) baby potatoes
• 1 lb (454g) green beans
• 1-2 eggs per person
• Mixed olives (pitted for kids)
• Capers
• 2-3 canned tuna and canned white anchovies (which I find kids prefer to salty, bony anchovy fillets)
• 1 cucumber, sliced into half moons
• Honey-Mustard Dressing (found in the June Meal Plan)

Step-by-Step Guide to Making the Best Niçoise Salad Recipe

1. Prepare Your Vegetables: Start by washing the lettuce in a salad spinner and tearing the lettuce into bite-sized pieces. Halve the cherry tomatoes, boil the baby potatoes (add to a pot with cold water, bring to a boil, and boil for about 17 minutes until fork-tender), and steam the green beans (add to a pot with cold water, bring to a boil, and lower to a simmer for 8 minutes). Slice the cucumber into half moons.

2. Perfectly Boil the Eggs: Using a ladle or large spoon, gently submerge your eggs in a pot of cold water. Bring to a boil and once boiling, set the timer for 7.5 minutes. When the timer goes off transfer the eggs to an ice bath to cool. This ensures they are cooked just right, with a slightly soft yolk, and makes them easier to peel when ready.

3. Assemble Your Salad: In a large serving bowl or platter, layer your lettuce as the base. Add the halved cherry tomatoes, baby potatoes, green beans, cucumber slices, mixed olives, and capers. Top with the tuna and/or white anchovies, and finish by placing the halved eggs on top. Or, keep things separate as pictured, allowing each person to assemble their own salad with desired ingredients on their plates.

4. Dress and Serve: Drizzle Honey-Mustard Dressing (found in the June Meal Plan) over the assembled salad. Serve immediately and enjoy this refreshing and nutritious meal.

Tips for the Perfect Niçoise Salad with Tuna

• Use fresh, high-quality ingredients: The fresher your vegetables, the better your salad will taste.
• Balance the flavors: The combination of salty capers, savory tuna, and fresh vegetables creates a harmonious blend of flavors, so don’t skimp on these additions on your plate!
• Meal prep friendly: This salad can be prepared in advance, making it a great option for quick lunches and dinners.

Variations and Additions

Feel free to customize your Niçoise Salad by adding or substituting ingredients. For a twist, try using grilled salmon instead of tuna or add a variety of beans for extra protein, such as lupini beans. This salad is incredibly versatile and can be tailored to suit your taste preferences.

Other Salad Recipes You Might Enjoy

• Albacore Tuna, Bean, and Kale Salad
• Bok Choy Wedge Salad
• Dandelion, Apple, and Toasted Fennel Seed Salad
• Kohlrabi and Kale Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing

Enjoy Your Classic Nicoise Salad

This Traditional Nicoise Salad Recipe is not only a celebration of flavors but also a nutritional powerhouse. It’s perfect for those who are looking for a healthy, balanced meal that’s easy to prepare and delicious to eat. Whether you’re making it for a family dinner, a summer picnic, or as part of your meal prep routine, this salad is sure to impress.

Easy, Classic Niçoise Salad with Variations

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This Classic Niçoise Salad is an easy, healthy, delicious, and kid-friendly recipe that you can prepare ahead of time. The Honey-Mustard Dressing ties everything together!

• Author: Emma Frisch
• Prep Time: 10
• Cook Time: 20
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 8–10 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

1 head lettuce

1 cucumber, sliced into half moons

1 pint (551ml) cherry tomatoes

24 oz (680g) baby potatoes

1 lb (454g) green beans

1–2 eggs per person

Mixed olives (pitted for kids)

Capers

2–3 canned tuna or canned white anchovies

Honey-Mustard Dressing (found in the June Meal Plan)

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Instructions

1. Prepare Your Vegetables:

• Start by washing the lettuce in a salad spinner and tearing the lettuce into bite-sized pieces.
• Halve the cherry tomatoes and slice the cucumbers into half moons.
• Add the baby potatoes to a pot with cold water, bring to a boil, and boil for about 17 minutes until they can be easily pierced with a fork. Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon, transferring to a bowl or plate, and set aside; don’t throw away the water!
• Add the green beans to the pot of potato water, return to a boil, and lower to a simmer for 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. Perfectly Boil the Eggs: This can be done simultaneously to boiling the potatoes and green beans. Using a ladle or large spoon, gently submerge your eggs in a pot of cold water. Bring to a boil and once boiling, set the timer for 7.5 minutes. When the timer goes off transfer the eggs to an ice bath to cool. This ensures they are cooked just right, with a slightly soft yolk, and makes them easier to peel when ready.

3. Assemble Your Salad: In a large serving bowl or platter, layer your lettuce as the base. Add the halved cherry tomatoes, baby potatoes, green beans, cucumber slices, mixed olives, and capers. Top with the tuna and/or white anchovies, and finish by placing peeled and halved hard-boiled eggs on top. Or, keep things separate as pictured, allowing each person to assemble their own salad with desired ingredients on their plates. This also makes it easy to store and repurpose leftovers.

4. Dress and Serve: I prefer to dress the salad individually, so that leftovers can be stored without going soggy. Each person can drizzle Honey-Mustard Dressing (found in the June Meal Plan) over their salad and enjoy immediately.

5. Store leftover salad (up to 3 days) and dressing (up to 2 weeks) separately in the refrigerator.

Notes

Prep ahead:

• Up to 3 days ahead, you can: wash lettuce and store in a ziplock bag, half cherry tomatoes, slice cucumber, and prepare potatoes, green beans, and eggs. Store each component separately in airtight containers, or in sections in a large container, for up to 5 days.
• Prepare the dressing up to 2 weeks ahead of time and store in the refrigerator. When ready to use, allow to come to room temperature.

Component cooking: This is the ultimate component cooking dish, allowing every eater to choose from a variety of healthy options and dress their final salad themselves.

Shortcuts: Buy pre-cut, pre-washed lettuce, pre-trimmed and washed (or frozen) green beans, and pre-made Honey-Mustard Dressing

Substitutions: Replace canned tuna or anchovies with canned salmon, or grilled salmon or chicken. For a Vegan variation, swap canned seafood for beans. You can be creative and add add in other vegetables your family prefers, like sliced peppers or sweet potatoes.

Additions: You can add canned beans and other favorite veggies, like sliced carrots and peppers.

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