Recipe for Health: Some new more-healthful ingredients bring tuna salad back from has-been status

With certain standard menu items, it seems we learn a certain recipe and use it forever after. We might get tired of it, but usually instead of making it a different way, we just make it less and less. It might get resurrected every once in a while, but if it still tastes blah, it goes back in the "has-been" pile.

For me, tuna salad is one of those items. My mother made it a certain way, with hard boiled eggs, celery, pickle and mayonnaise. I added mustard, but basically kept making the same recipe over the years. While I still like it, I find I don't make it as often because it's kind of boring.

It's a shame because tuna salad is a great meal staple for lunch or dinner. Or even breakfast, for that matter. It can be prepared ahead. Just add bread or whole grain crackers and some fruit, and you've got a satisfying and healthful meal.

Since tuna is high in omega 3 fatty acids, eating tuna salad is an easy and tasty way to get a good dose. The American Heart Association recommends we eat fish at least twice a week to boost our consumption of these important nutrients. Tuna is also a very lean source of protein.

Today's recipe for tuna salad is made even leaner by substituting low-fat cottage cheese for the mayonnaise most often used to bind the ingredients together. Even if you don't like cottage cheese, I'm betting you won't be able to taste it in this tuna salad, but you will like the way it holds everything together. Plus there are so many other interesting ingredients, you will hardly even notice it.

By the way, if you make your tuna with cottage cheese and spread the mixture on a piece of bread, then run it under the broiler for a couple of minutes, the cottage cheese will melt and bubble a bit, giving you a tasty version of a tuna melt.

You'll notice there are some other ingredients not usually found in this popular meal choice. Corn kernels, minced jalapeno, tomatoes and avocado make this tuna salad interesting and nutritious. Corn adds a bit of extra fiber, while the avocado provides a good dollop of vitamin E and heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids, but in an amount moderate enough to not raise the calorie count too much. The cucumber or chopped summer squash give just enough texture to make things interesting, and the heat from the jalapenos nicely warms up your mouth.

If you are making this in advance, combine all the ingredients except avocado, and refrigerate. Just before serving, dice and add avocado to the salad. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if desired.

If you have leftovers, cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap down onto the surface of the salad. This helps prevent oxygen from coming into contact with the avocado, so less browning occurs.

Scoop this tuna salad between two slices of whole wheat bread, or eat it with crackers. Your taste buds will definitely not be bored. And if you're like me, your interest in this mealtime staple will be reawakened.

Megan Murphy is a Tennessee-licensed registered dietitian and associate professor of nutrition at Southwest Tennessee Community College. Call 901-277-3062 or e-mail

Tuna and Cottage Cheese Salad

Makes about 3 servings, slightly less than two-thirds cup each.


1 (5½-6 oz.) can tuna, drained

½ cup low-fat cottage cheese

1 ear of corn, cooked, kernels cut off cob (or use 1/3 cup frozen, thawed corn)

1 minced small jalapeño, seeds removed (use more or less to taste)

1/3 cup chopped summer squash or cucumber

1 large or 2 small, chopped Roma tomatoes

1/3 cup diced red onion

½ medium avocado, diced

2-3 leaves fresh basil, chopped (optional)

1 tsp. Dijon or spicy-type mustard

1 tsp. Creole or Cajun seasoning

- Salt and pepper to taste


1 Combine all ingredients in a bowl and gently mix everything together.

2 Serve immediately.

Per serving: 167 calories, 6 gm fat, 1 gm saturated fat, 21 mg cholesterol, 13 gm carbohydrates, 3 gm fiber 17 gm protein, 388 mg sodium.

Source: Adapted from