Salad Niçoise is the ultimate summer salad, packed with fresh vegetables. Make it quickly as a side dish or a satisfying main—you’re going to love this bright, green salad!
This recipe comes together in minutes and is easy to adapt to your tastes. Ready to make a classic Salad Niçoise? Let’s get into the kitchen.
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Classic Salad Niçoise Recipe
A true Salad Niçoise is a summer favorite: fresh, colorful and satisfying. This version is quick to assemble and works equally well as a side or a main course. Build it with seasonal vegetables such as:
- Romaine or other crisp lettuce
- Juicy cherry tomatoes
- Blanched green beans
Using Homegrown Baby Potatoes
Small new potatoes are a lovely addition to Salad Niçoise, but they’re optional if you prefer a lighter plate. If you include them, boil whole baby potatoes until tender, then toss them into the salad warm or cooled. A simple vinaigrette or a drizzle of good olive oil finishes the dish beautifully.
Baby potatoes are easy to grow in small spaces—planters, bags or buckets work well. They mature quickly and are delicious simply scrubbed and boiled; no peeling required. Because they’re small, cooking time is short—about five minutes once the water boils.
What You Need For This Recipe
Gather a few simple ingredients to make this classic Salad Niçoise. Here are the essentials:
- Romaine lettuce
- Cherry tomatoes
- Green beans
- Eggs
- Red onion
- Tuna (canned or fresh)
- Niçoise olives
- Baby potatoes (optional)
- Olive oil or a light vinaigrette for dressing
Refer to the recipe card below for exact quantities and nutrition details.
How To Make Salad Niçoise
- Trim the green beans and blanch them in boiling water for about 6 minutes until tender-crisp. Drain and set aside to cool slightly.
- Boil the eggs for 7 minutes for a firm-yet-creamy yolk. Drain and transfer to an ice bath to stop cooking, then peel and quarter.
- Wash and dry the lettuce and tomatoes.
- Cut cherry tomatoes into quarters. Tear or chop the lettuce and arrange it on a large platter or individual plates.
- Distribute the tomatoes over the lettuce, then add the cooled green beans.
- Slice the boiled eggs into wedges and place them on top of the beans.
- Thinly slice the red onion and scatter over the salad for a mild sharpness.
- Drain the tuna and break it into chunks, arranging them across the salad.
- Finish with Niçoise olives and a generous drizzle of high-quality olive oil or a tangy vinaigrette.
- Serve immediately while the ingredients are fresh and vibrant.
More Vegetable Options
Salad Niçoise is flexible—add extra vegetables to suit your palate. Some great options include:
- Red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- Shallots for a milder onion flavor
- Capers for a briny pop
- Thinly sliced radish for crunch
- Marinated artichoke hearts
Serve Your Salad Niçoise With
Serve this salad on its own for a light lunch or pair it with heartier mains when you want a fuller meal. It complements grilled and bistro-style dishes particularly well, such as grilled steaks, burgers, or garlic bread.
More Tasty Salad Recipes To Try
If you enjoy this Salad Niçoise, try other fresh salads to vary your menus and meals:
- Goat cheese salad
- Chicken Caesar salad
- French bistro salad
- Classic potato salad
- Canned salmon salad
- Simple tuna salad
- Dill cucumber salad
- Tossed tuna salad
Enjoy making this fresh, colorful Salad Niçoise. It’s simple, satisfying, and perfect for warm-weather meals.
Classic Salad Niçoise
4
5 minutes
7 minutes
12 minutes
A classic Salad Niçoise that’s perfect for lunch, a side dish, or a light dinner—full of summer vegetables, eggs and tuna. Quick to prepare and easy to customize.
Ingredients
- 1 head of Romaine lettuce
- 4 cherry tomatoes
- 50 g green beans (about 1¾ oz)
- 2 eggs
- 1 red onion
- Niçoise olives
- Tuna (canned or fresh)
- 3 small new potatoes (optional)
- Olive oil or vinaigrette for dressing
Instructions
- Clean and trim the green beans, then boil them for about 6 minutes until tender-crisp.
- Boil the eggs for 7 minutes, drain and place them in ice water. Peel and quarter.
- Wash and dry the lettuce and tomatoes.
- Quarter the cherry tomatoes and chop or tear the lettuce; arrange on a large plate.
- Add the tomatoes, then the cooled green beans.
- Place the egg wedges on top, then scatter thinly sliced red onion.
- Break the drained tuna into chunks and distribute across the salad.
- Decorate with olives and drizzle with olive oil or vinaigrette.
- Serve immediately while fresh.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4
Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 414Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 145mgSodium: 286mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 8gSugar: 7gProtein: 21g
Please note: Nutrition information is for guidance only and may not be exact.