Creamy Tuna and Spinach Salad
with Pickled Red Onion, Cucumber & Garlic Bread
- Soy
- Wheat
- Fish
- Eggs
- Milk
Oh, the things we can do with a simple can of tuna! Exhibit A: This light-yet-satisfying dinner salad idea that’s on the table in just 20 minutes. This protein-rich bowl starts with a homemade lemon-mustard dressing tossed with tender baby spinach leaves and crunchy, refreshing cucumber slices. You’ll top it all with a dollop of creamy tuna salad featuring tangy pickled red onion (pretty in pink!) A side of buttery garlic bread adds a crisp and savory element, rounding out the meal.
Ingredients
1 unit
Red Onion
1 unit
Lemon
1 unit
Ciabatta Bread
(Contains: Soy, Wheat)
1 unit
Mini Cucumber
5 teaspoon
Red Wine Vinegar
5.6 ounce
Tuna
(Contains: Fish)
2 tablespoon
Mayonnaise
(Contains: Eggs)
1.5 tablespoon
Sour Cream
(Contains: Milk)
1 teaspoon
Garlic Powder
2 teaspoon
Dijon Mustard
5 ounce
Baby Spinach
Not included in your delivery
Salt
Pepper
¾ teaspoon
Sugar
4 teaspoon
Olive Oil
1 teaspoon
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 450 degrees. (TIP: If you have a toaster oven, feel free to skip preheating—you’ll use it to toast the ciabatta in Step 4.) Place 1 tsp butter (2 tsp for 4 servings) in a small bowl to soften. Wash and dry produce. • Halve, peel, and thinly slice onion. Halve ciabatta. Quarter lemon. Trim and halve cucumber lengthwise; thinly slice crosswise into half-moons.
• In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine sliced onion, vinegar, ½ tsp sugar (1 tsp for 4 servings), and 2 TBSP water (4 TBSP water for 4). Season with salt and pepper. • Cover with plastic wrap; microwave for 30-60 seconds. Remove plastic wrap and set aside to pickle, stirring occasionally, until ready to serve.
• Open canned tuna and drain; place in a medium bowl. • Stir in mayonnaise, sour cream, and half the garlic powder. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
• Stir a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of garlic powder into bowl with softened butter. Lightly season with salt and pepper. • Spread garlic butter onto cut sides of ciabatta; place on a baking sheet. (TIP: For easy cleanup, line baking sheet with aluminum foil first.) Toast on top rack until golden brown, 5-6 minutes. TIP: You can use your toaster oven instead. • Slice garlic bread into four triangles each.
• In a second large bowl, whisk together juice from one lemon wedge, half the mustard, 1 TBSP olive oil, and ¼ tsp sugar (for 4 servings, use juice from two lemon wedges, all the mustard, 2 TBSP olive oil, and ½ tsp sugar). Season with salt and pepper. • Add spinach, cucumber, and as much pickled onion as you like (draining first) to bowl with dressing; toss to combine.
• Divide salad between bowls. Top with tuna and more pickled onion if desired. Serve with garlic bread and remaining lemon wedges on the side.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Sep 2026- Flavor: The pickled red onion and creamy tuna mixture are a standout combination; some found the dressing and tuna salad a bit mild on their own. 🥗
- Ease of prep: Quick and simple to assemble, with the garlic bread and pickled onion coming together in just minutes.
- Suggestions: Add a second can of tuna for two people, as many found one can too little; boost the tuna salad with celery, relish, chopped egg, or capers for extra flavor and texture.
- Leftovers: The salad doesn't keep well, so enjoy it fresh; the tuna mixture holds up better on its own the next day.
- Portions: The spinach-to-tuna ratio felt off for many — a larger tuna portion or slightly less spinach would better balance the bowl.
Reviews from our home cooks
I really enjoyed this. The most surprising thing to me was how tasty the tuna was. I have never had sour cream mixed in tuna and was a little hesitant to do so, but I was so pleasantly surprised with how flavorful the mixture was. I loved the pickled onion, the spinach was fresh and flavorful, the cucumber always goes well with spinach, the garlic bread a perfect addition. This was such a perfect combination of foods. Easy, fast, and tasty.
We love this and we can add things to it as well. We had some tuna already made up which we added to the creamy tuna. Also used some wonderful Asiago sourdough from our favorite bakery instead of the ciabatta. Easy, peasy and tasty meal. One of our favorites.
We were so thrilled with the pickled red onion! We were also impressed with the quality and volume of spinach supplied. OTOH, We were far less impressed with the tuna salad. Despite draining the tuna well, the salad was runny. I blame the use of sour cream since it was so thin. The salad was bland also.
This was good. However, I highly suggest not covering the onions with plastic wrap and heating in the microwave for the time suggested, now the vinegar stinks and the onions taste awful. I put spinach and cucumber with dressing on it for a salad and put tuna mixture open face on ciabatta bread, it paired well with the buttery olive oil garlic spread on the bread.
This is more feedback to why I liked it best! You can pick and choose what to eat from three items-not everything piled onto a sandwich and you have to eat all. One of us ate more bread and the other ate more tuna and we both ate a fair amount of the spinach salad-so nice to be able to choose! There is nothing I like least about it-it was fantastic! And better than the creamy tuna melt I got this week.
This dish was a hit with me. Loved the flavor and quantity. I will order again when available. The tuna was savory, and the pickle red onion set the tone. Great dish!
Easy to prepare and tasted delicious. I've never pickled onions before. They added so much flavor. Tuna was great quality. I would definitely eat again.
Absolutely wonderful! I added a little of the pickling liquid to the salad and made everything in separate batches. First the pickled onion then the tuna, then the salad dressing/salad. It took longer, but I didn't care...it was phenomenal!
I really enjoyed the taste and convenience of this recipe; however, in the future I will leave off the onion since it gave me horrendous breath for the rest of the night. Maybe another pickled item would have been better for me.
I adjusted and reduced the amount of mayonnaise in the tuna salad because it was overwhelming last time. I enjoyed it quite a bit this time around
