Now, I’m gonna admit that I was never a huge fan of canned tuna, but a challenge is a challenge and Jessica wanted me to make a macro-friendly version of Tuna Casserole.
The breakthrough here is the “Tuna”: I wanted it to have protein but also have that seafoody flavor. What comes from the sea but isn’t an animal, but is easily accessible…???? SEAWEED! Genius. Specifically, I use this Dulse (affilate):
Secondly, I’m a texture dude and I wanted the feel of tuna without the whole killing an animal thing… I have to say I got pretty close with my mixture of chickpeas and canned hearts of palm! Is it exactly right? Definitely not. Does it give you a good enough analogue in a creamy pasta bake? Fo sho!
The basic mixture for the tuna is a 1:1 ratio of chickpeas to hearts of palm and the flavors come from the seaweed, capers and some lemon. You want to pulse this all in a food processor until it resembles flaky fish. Something like this:
I kept the rest of the bake simple and boiled some kale for the last minute with the pasta and made a sauce with some soaked cashews and some dried spices (garlic, onion and dill). Sprinkle with some fresh lemon et voila! Perfectly balanced meal to fuel your next workout (or four, in my case!)
Any other challenge dishes out there? I’m slowly working through them all and having so much fun doing it!!
Ingredients
- 203 g whole wheat pasta I used this particular protein pasta (affiliate)
- 1 cup greens kale or similar
"Tuna"
- 1 tbsp dulse this is the one I use (affiliate)
- 114 g chickpeas canned, drained
- 110 g hearts of palm canned, drained
- 1 tbsp capers with juice
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Sauce
- 32 g cashews soaked in water for 20 mins
- 1 tbsp mushroom seasoning this is the one I use (affiliate)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tsp dill dried
- 1 tsp onion dried
Instructions
- Add all "tuna" ingredients to a food processor and pulse until flaky texture that resembles fish.
- Clean processor and add sauce ingredients - mix until smooth paste forms.
- Cook pasta and drain, add half the "tuna" mix, greens and the sauce and combine. Pour into heat proof dish and top with remaining "tuna" mix. Bake for 40 mins until golden and crispy.
Notes
Nutrition Facts
The Healthiest "Tuna" Casserole You'll Ever Eat
Serving Size
459.2 g
Amount per Serving
Calories
1058
% Daily Value*
Fat
21.7
g
33
%
Carbohydrates
181.9
g
61
%
Protein
131
g
262
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
- To increase protein - add more chickpeas
- To increase carbs - add more pasta
- To increase fats - add more cashews
Nutrition
Serving: 459.2gCalories: 1058kcalCarbohydrates: 181.9gProtein: 131gFat: 21.7g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
