recipe of the week: CHICKPEA 'TUNA' SALAD

By Jennie Aylward
Feb 8, 2026

Each week during Veggie Vebruary, we’re spotlighting a simple, high-protein, meatless recipe for you to try.

When I was a teenager, I brought a tuna salad sandwich for my school lunch every single day for months, or perhaps even years. I never got tired of that slightly soft, mayonnaise-bound mix between slices of tender bread.

Tuna, like most types of seafood, isn’t a big contributor to climate change compared to other types of meat, but the seafood industry has other environmental problems, like overfishing and pollution. That’s why it was a treat to find a more sustainable recipe for chickpea “tuna” salad, from Ilene Godofsky Moreno’s The Colorful Kitchen, an all-around excellent cookbook from a local author. The recipe (below) gives me the things I love about that time-tested tuna salad, without the environmental downside.

A woman rinses chickpeas in a strainer at a kitchen sink

Dried chickpeas should be cooked first, but canned chickpeas only need a rinse

It’s also a cinch to make. Just chop up a few vegetables and mash some chickpeas (garbanzo beans), and mix them together with things you may already have in your fridge and pantry: vinegar, mayo (any kind, but vegan for bonus sustainability points), lemon juice, and brine from a jar of pickles. If you happen to have a small food processor, it’s even faster: Just whirl everything together.

Canned chickpeas work great, or you can get a 20% discount from Mon. Feb. 9 through Sun. Feb. 15 on dried chickpeas by visiting Maplewood’s Good Bottle Refill Shop in person (discount not available online). And by doing so, you’ll be avoiding wasteful packaging – you can even bring your own container.

Chickpeas are poured into a small food processor

Mash the chickpeas by hand, or throw all the ingredients into a food processor

Like all our Veggie Vebruary weekly recipes, this one’s got plenty of protein: 16 grams per sandwich, per Edamam.

Plus there’s room for improvisation! Don’t have dill? The mix is still good without it. Any kind of onion will do; it doesn’t need to be red! Substitute another kind of light-colored vinegar if you don’t have apple cider vinegar. And garnish your sandwich with any toppings you like.

Neither my sixteen-year-old self nor modern-day me would argue that this tastes exactly like tuna salad, but it’s an eco-friendly substitute with an equally satisfying taste, texture, and nutrient profile.

On a plate, the top slice of bread on a sandwich sits to the side, and the other slice is spread with chickpea tuna salad and pickled onions

I topped my 'tuna' salad with pickled red onions

A sandwich on a plate

If you want to post about making this recipe on social media, tag @mmitm_project (Instagram) or @mmitm.project (Facebook) and let us know how it went! #VeggieVebruary

And visit the Veggie Vebruary page for all our Recipes of the Week.

Chickpea ‘Tuna’ Salad

Recipe courtesy of Ilene Godofsky Moreno
Makes enough for 4 sandwiches
Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups cooked dried chickpeas OR one 15-ounce can, rinsed and drained
  • ¼ cup diced carrot
  • ¼ cup diced celery
  • 2 tablespoons diced red onion
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
  • ¼ cup vegan mayo
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon pickle brine
  • Salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions

Mash the chickpeas in a medium bowl with a potato masher or fork until a chunky texture is created. Stir in the carrot, celery, onion, dill, mayo, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, pickle brine, salt, and pepper.