French Salade Nicoise Lunch Jars with Tuna, Green Beans, Egg and Olives

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Lower in the eggs and cook for 7 minutes for jammy yolks. Lift out into ice water, then peel and halve.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 12 oz (340g) baby potatoes, halved
• 8 oz (225g) green beans, trimmed
• 2 cans (5 oz / 140g each) oil-packed tuna, drained and flaked
• 1 cup (150g) cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup (75g) pitted Nicoise or Kalamata olives
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 4 cups butter lettuce or little gem, torn
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)
• 1 small garlic clove, grated
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Lower in the eggs and cook for 7 minutes for jammy yolks. Lift out into ice water, then peel and halve.
2. In the same water, boil the potatoes for 12 to 14 minutes until tender. Scoop them out and let them cool. Add the green beans to the water and blanch for 3 minutes, then plunge into ice water and drain well.
3. Make the vinaigrette by whisking together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon, anchovy paste, garlic, a good pinch of salt and plenty of pepper in a small bowl.
4. Divide the vinaigrette among four wide-mouth pint jars, about 2 tablespoons in each. Add the potatoes and toss gently in the jar so they soak up the dressing.
5. Layer in the green beans, then the red onion, olives and cherry tomatoes. Add the flaked tuna on top, pressing lightly.
6. Nestle the halved eggs against the side of the jar and finish with a big handful of torn lettuce, packing loosely so it stays crisp. Seal the jars.
7. Refrigerate for up to 4 days. To eat, tip the jar onto a plate or simply shake and eat from the jar with a fork, letting the vinaigrette work down through the layers.
8. Salade nicoise comes from Nice on the French Riviera, where it began as a humble fisherman's lunch of tomatoes, anchovies and olives eaten with bread. Purists in Nice still argue over whether potatoes and green beans belong, but the composed, protein-rich version with tuna and egg is what won hearts around the world. Layered in a jar with the dressing at the bottom, it becomes the ideal make-ahead lunch: the potatoes marinate, the lettuce stays crisp, and every bite tastes like a sunny seaside cafe.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 420 kcal
• Protein: 27g
• Fat: 24g
• Carbohydrates: 24g
• Fiber: 5g
• Sugar: 4g
• Sodium: 690mg