It doesn’t get much easier than this nutritious dairy-free tuna edamame salad. The chunky blend is perfect for scooping up with pita wedges (gluten-free optional!), whole grain crackers or lettuce leaves and can be tossed together in less than 10 minutes for a quick lunch, afternoon protein-rich snack, or light dinner. Plus, it’s packable!
The recipe and photo for this tuna edamame salad were shared with us by the Soyfoods Association of North America and the United Soybean Board.
Not sure how you feel about soy? Well, for starters, I’ve included a soy-free option for this edamame salad below (making it a garbanzo salad!). That said, the research isn’t all bad for soy, just certain types of soy. The negative studies were primarily done on soy protein isolates specifically, while more positive studies show whole organic soy and especially fermented soy as beneficial foods.
Just like any food, I prefer not to go overboard. But a serving of this edamame salad (those are baby whole soybeans!) offers a double dose of dairy-free protein for sustained energy and strength. “Soy protein is a very high quality protein, equivalent to egg or milk protein,” said Mindy Kurzer, Ph.D. and professor with the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota.
Special Diet Notes: Healthy Tuna Edamame Salad
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, optionally grain-free, nut-free, and peanut-free.
For soy-free tuna salad, in the case of allergies, you can substitute garbanzo beans (lightly mashed, if desired).
Dairy-Free Vinaigrette: Note that several Italian vinaigrettes do contain dairy. For this recipe, I really like Organicville Dressings. All are dairy-free, gluten-free and I believe vegan. The Dijon, Sun Dried Tomato & Garlic, Olive Oil & Balsamic, and Herbes de Provence would be my top picks for this tuna edamame salad.
- 1 cup frozen shelled organic edamame, cooked according to package directions
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 cup carrots, shredded
- 1 can (6 ounces) tuna, water packed, drained
- ½ cup golden raisins
- ¼ cup red onion, diced
- ¼ cup bottled, light dairy-free vinaigrette (see recommendation in the post above)
- Pita bread, whole grain crackers (optionally gluten-free) or lettuce leaves, for serving
- Place the edamame, tomatoes, carrots, tuna, raisins and onion in a medium bowl and stir to mix things up.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until combined.
- Serve with pita bread halves, whole grain crackers and/or lettuce leaves.
12 Comments
Love high protein salads for lunch. This sounds refreshing and satisfying–perfect for the hot spell we are having in Portland this week.
I love that this is an easy recipe with stuff you have on hand in your pantry or freezer!
I love Edamame as it makes any salad amazing so I know instantly that this salad is fabulous and it’s a great bonus that it’s so healthy, too!
I really enjoy edamame, too, and forget about it too often!
This looks like a wonderful summer salad! I don’t do well with soy so I’ll be leaving the edamame out even though I love it. I may add it some white rice to take it’s place.
I hear you Lauren – rice would definitely be a nice swap.
yesss. I already know this will be a staple this Summer- Especially since….EDAMAME Comes shelled here- It’s amazing.
Oooh, yes, it is more fun and delicious when shelled – a local Asian place here serves it with everything!
This looks delicious! Love that you used so many veggies here!
What a unique flavor combination! My kids love edamame so I think this will be a hit with them
So wonderful that your kids are into healthy foods! That can be a challenge for many 🙂
I can see this salad being perfect to pack for a picnic at the park or the beach. Your recipe has ingredients that both my husband and I love.