High-Protein Tuna Salad Lettuce Cups (Printable)

Light and satisfying tuna salad nestled in crisp butter lettuce cups, packed with protein and fresh vegetables for a quick healthy meal.

# What you need:

→ Tuna Salad

01 - 1 can (5 oz) tuna in water, drained
02 - 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt, nonfat or low-fat
03 - 1 tablespoon light mayonnaise
04 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
05 - 1 celery stalk, finely diced
06 - ¼ small red onion, finely diced
07 - 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
08 - Juice of ½ lemon
09 - Salt and pepper to taste

→ Lettuce Cups & Toppings

10 - 1 small head butter lettuce or romaine, leaves separated, washed and dried
11 - ½ avocado, sliced (optional)
12 - 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
13 - 2 tablespoons shredded carrots (optional)

# Directions:

01 - In a medium bowl, combine drained tuna, Greek yogurt, light mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, diced celery, diced red onion, chopped parsley, and lemon juice. Mix thoroughly until well combined.
02 - Taste the tuna mixture and season with salt and pepper according to preference.
03 - Arrange separated and dried lettuce leaves on a serving plate, forming cup shapes for filling.
04 - Spoon tuna salad evenly into each lettuce cup.
05 - Top each cup with avocado slices, halved cherry tomatoes, and shredded carrots if desired.
06 - Arrange on plate and serve immediately.

# Expert tips:

01 -
  • It tastes indulgent—creamy, tangy, satisfying—but is secretly lean and keeps you full for hours.
  • Zero cooking required, which means you can throw it together during a lunch break without heating up the kitchen.
  • The lettuce cups stay crispy and fun to eat, turning a simple salad into something that feels like an actual meal.
02 -
  • The Greek yogurt can split if you overmix—stir gently until combined, don't whip it like you're making whipped cream.
  • If your lettuce cups tear while you're filling them, just use the scraps to line another cup; nothing goes to waste here.
03 -
  • Finely dicing your vegetables matters more than you'd think—bigger pieces make the salad harder to eat in those delicate lettuce cups.
  • A squeeze of fresh lemon juice right before serving brightens everything and makes the whole dish taste more alive than it did five minutes before.
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