Mashed chickpeas replace tuna in this quick vegan Roman “Tu-No” salad recipe. Mediterranean flavor comes from a colorful mix of sun-dried tomatoes, bell pepper, olives, and more. With an easy, oil-free dressing. This whole foods, plant-based salad is a snap to make, and it gets even better the next day.
Mashed Chickpeas: Vegan Substitute for Canned Tuna
The secret to this tu-no salad recipe is mashed chickpeas. You can use regular, canned chickpeas to replace tuna for a plant-based salad. All you have to do is drain and rinse the chickpeas. Then, use a fork to mash the chickpeas until they look like flaky, canned tuna. This is a simple vegan trick that you can use in many recipes that call for canned tuna.
A Helpful Video for Mashed Chickpeas:
Roman Mediterranean Flavor
Mediterranean flavor comes from Roman Italian ingredients. Sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil add bright, garden flavor. Olives and capers add salty umami notes. An easy, oil-free dressing uses tahini and Dijon mustard to replace mayonnaise for a creamy texture. This easy plant-based salad uses whole foods ingredients for a delicious dish!
Chef Katie’s Plant-Based Cooking Tips for Roman Chickpea Tu-No Salad
Canned Bean Tip: Always drain and thoroughly rinse canned beans before using. This removes any of the canned flavor and makes them more digestible.
Make a Day Ahead: This salad tastes even better after it sits for a day.
Add Fresh Herbs: You can add other fresh herbs for even more healthy flavor. Tarragon, parsley, and fresh mint would add bright flavors.
Low-Sodium: If you’re concerned about sodium from the caper brine and olives, you can cut back on these and use some fresh lemon zest and juice for salt-free flavor. Check for canned chickpeas with “No Salt Added”
Chef’s Plant-Based Tip: Use a fork to mash up chickpeas until you reach a consistency resembling canned tuna. With the capers and other ingredients, no one will be able to tell this salad is vegan 
Chef’s Oil-Free Tip: A quick dressing from tahini, Dijon mustard, and caper brine helps make a salty, creamy dressing for this easy plant-based salad recipe 
Everything comes together in under 10 minutes for this easy, healthy plant-based salad
Easy | Servings: 4 | Ready In: 10 minutes | Yield: 4 cups
10-Minute Roman Chickpea “Tu-No” Salad
Ingredients
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ¼ red onion diced
- ½ red bell pepper seeded and diced
- 3 stalks celery diced
- ¼ cup Kalamata olives chopped
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped
- 2 tablespoons capers drained and loosely chopped
- 2 tablespoons of the caper brine
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Instructions
- To make the Chickpea “Tu-No”: Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Place into a medium bowl. Use a fork to mash the chickpeas into a consistency resembling canned tuna.
- To make the Roman Chickpea Salad: Dice the red onion, bell pepper, and celery. Chop the olives, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, and capers. Add all to the bowl with the mashed chickpeas. Add 2 tablespoons of the caper brine, along with the tahini, Dijon, and black pepper. Stir well to combine.
- Everything comes together in under 10 minutes for this easy, healthy plant-based salad
- Serve on toasted bread or enjoy with lettuce and tomato.
- Yield: 4 cups
Notes
Nutrition Facts
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings 4.0 | |
| Amount Per Serving | |
| calories 264 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 14 g | 22 % |
| Saturated Fat 1 g | 4 % |
| Monounsaturated Fat 0 g | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g | |
| Trans Fat 0 g | |
| Cholesterol 0 mg | 0 % |
| Sodium 932 mg | 39 % |
| Potassium 356 mg | 10 % |
| Total Carbohydrate 24 g | 8 % |
| Dietary Fiber 7 g | 27 % |
| Sugars 5 g | |
| Protein 9 g | 17 % |
| Vitamin A | 32 % |
| Vitamin C | 26 % |
| Calcium | 9 % |
| Iron | 11 % |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. | |
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