Vegan chickpea tuna and potato mornay is based on an old British dish but there is a similar Australian version of a mornay that features pasta or noodles that is also known as a tuna casserole pasta bake. A mornay is defined as a dish that is cooked in a cheesy, creamy sauce.
This vegan chickpea tuna and potato mornay features chickpeas, potatoes, and spinach as the star of the meal enveloped within the tastiest, savoury, fresh herb creamy sauce. And topped with cheesy nutritional yeast and crispy breadcrumbs.
Perfect for a starter, side-dish, light lunch, but also good enough for the main event.
Fancy a chickpea tuna mayonnaise sandwich? Check out the recipe FAQs and notes for an easy scrummy method that is adapted from this chickpea tuna and potato mornay recipe.
Spinach, potatoes and chickpea 'tuna' mix base with a creamy, herby, fishy flavoured sauce and topped with a cheesy, crispy topping. Finished with a sprinkle of fresh parsley. So tasty, everyone will want seconds so best prepare 2 at a time!
Vegan Chickpea Tuna And Potato Mornay
This meal is easy to prepare yet delivers on tasty, moreish fresh flavours. First the potatoes are boiled or steamed until soft. I use baby or new potatoes but really any type of potatoes can be used. Once cooked the potatoes are drained and placed into a casserole dish that has been lined with fresh spinach. A sprinkle of dried or chopped fresh dill is added to the potatoes.
While the potatoes are simmering the chickpea tuna is prepared. To begin the red onion and celery is fine diced and added to a small bowl, along with fish seasoning (dried herb and spice mix), lemon juice, and sweetcorn. This mixture is seasoned to taste with salt and pepper.
Next the chickpea tuna mix is sautéed in a pan with either one tablespoon of heated oil or about ½ cup of veggie stock, for 10 minutes. Plain flour is stirred through the chickpea tuna mix and cooked for a further 1 minute before plant milk is slowly poured in to create a creamy sauce. The sauce is seasoned with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste. I usually add a few pinches of cayenne just for the warm flavour as my family prefer the sauce not to be too spicy!
The creamy or mornay sauce is simmered gently for around 3-4 minutes and then a tablespoon of white wine vinegar is added to provide delicious tangy notes. The sauce is poured over the potatoes in the casserole dish. A topping of nutritional yeast flakes and breadcrumbs is sprinkled over.
Now all that needs doing is for the chickpea mornay to bake in the oven for around 25 minutes until lightly golden and bubbling. Throw over some chopped fresh parsley to garnish and compliment all those fresh, creamy, herby flavours.
Depending on how small you diced your red onion and celery they may retain a slight crunch by the end of cooking time, but this is actually welcome as the texture and flavours this brings, does add much to the finished dish.
Looking for a gluten-free chickpea tuna mornay? Do check out the recipe notes and FAQ section for more information. And if the idea of a chickpea tuna mayonnaise sandwich strikes your fancy then check out the FAQs also. Chickpea tuna sandwiches are so tasty and a firm favourite for lunch at our home.
How To Prepare Vegan Chickpea Tuna and Potato Mornay
Add a layer of fresh spinach to the casserole dish.
While the potatoes are cooking prepare the chickpea tuna mix.
First dice the red onion and celery.
Melt vegan butter or ½ cup of veggie stock in a skillet and cook the chickpea tuna for 10 minutes.
Slowly add the plant milk.
Season with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper.
Mix through the white wine vinegar. Pour the creamy mix over the potatoes and spinach.
Sprinkle over the nutritional yeast and breadcrumbs.
Bake for 25 minutes.
Don't forget a sprinkle of parsley, chopped chives or sliced spring/green onions...Yum!
Recipe Notes And FAQS
Leftovers?!! That has never happen in our house with this recipe! But of course if serving less people or smaller appetites leftovers can happen.
Store leftovers in the fridge, within a covered container, for up to 3 days.
Remove leftovers from the fridge about 30 minutes before reheating. Place in a a baking dish, cover with a layer of foil, and reheat at the cooking temperature until piping hot throughout. Check after 20 minutes for doneness.
Yes. This recipe can be prepped a day or two in advance and kept covered in the fridge.
Remove from the fridge about 30 minutes before baking to remove the chill and reduce cooking times.
Add an extra 10 minutes or so to the baking time if required, to ensure the mornay is piping hot throughout and bubbling.
Absolutely, yes.
Use a gluten-free plain flour mix for the sauce, and gluten-free breadcrumbs for the topping. I used gluten-free rice breadcrumbs.
Finally ensure that the fish seasoning herb blend used is free of gluten ingredients, and if a vegan margarine or vegan stock is used to cook the chickpea tuna mix make sure those are also free of gluten ingredients.
It is easy to prepare tuna chickpea salad that is super tasty as a sandwich filling. I prepare this all the time for my family and my son enjoys taking it for school pack lunch especially as a tortilla wrap filling.
Prepare the chickpea tuna mix according to the recipe but don't cook it.
Instead add enough vegan mayonnaise to create a creamy tuna mayonnaise texture. Give the mix a little mash to break up some of the chickpeas.
Add enough salt and pepper to taste. A dried seaweed nori sheet ripped into pieces and mixed through gives an extra fishy-sea flavour.
That's all there is to creating a really easy simple chickpea tuna mayonnaise sandwich filling. Try a few scoops as a baked potato filling. So refreshing and delicious.
Want to prepare your own home-made no added fat or oil mayonnaise? Try Dr McDougall's simple tofu mayonnaise recipe.
A few suggestions:
* a tasty crispy green salad
* any salad veggies
* peas/ mangetout/ sugar snap peas/ field beans/ runner beans/ yard long beans/ green beans
* roast asparagus
* mixed roast veggies
* steamed veggies especially broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage or kale
* mashed turnip/swede/rutabaga
* celeriac mash/chips/wedges
* sweet potato chips/fries/wedges/baked
* baked beans
* spaghetti hoops
* vegan coleslaw
* pickled cucumber/gherkins/beetroot/cabbage
* vegan garlic bread
* a wedge of your favourite crusty bread
* bread rolls/baps
Fish seasoning is usually just a mix of herbs and spices that is designed to season fish. As the mix is simply different plant ingredients it is perfect for vegans and plant-based diets especially when re-creating a vegan version of a fish dish.
Below is a photo of the fish seasoning that I have use for this recipe. Any fish seasoning blend can be used although do check the ingredients. Be extra careful if your dish has to be gluten-free in case any wheat or similar ingredients have been added to bulk out the seasoning.
If you can't source any fish seasoning then its easy to mix up your own herb blend if you have the individual herbs or spices to hand. The herb blend I used was made up of ' fennel, parsley, chives, orange, tarragon and chervil'. Instead of the dried orange some fresh lemon or orange zest would be tasty. Also fresh herbs could replace the dried.
Although technically any seasoning mix or blend can replace the fish seasoning. 
A mornay is a French term for basically a dish prepared with a creamy sauce that can be flavoured with herbs, spices, cheese, etc.
There is also a mornay sauce that is a béchamel sauce with cheese added. A mornay sauce is commonly served with pasta dishes.
In Australia a popular dish is tuna pasta mornay or tuna casserole bake which has tuna and pasta mixed through a creamy sauce, added to a casserole dish, and topped with cheese and breadcrumbs before being baked until crispy.
In Britain, a mornay is usually prepared with different types of fish or seafood, and sometimes with veggies or potatoes added. A crispy topping is also a common addition.
More Tasty Vegan Dinner Ideas To Liven Up Mealtime...
Traditional Vegetables au Gratin
Vegan Sage and Onion Green Lentil, Oatmeal and Chickpea Meatloaf
Traditional Scottish Potato and Leek Soup with Toasted Oats
Slow Cooker Vegan Beef Stew And Fluffy Dumplings (can also be prepared on the stove top)
Vegan chicken stew and dumplings
Vegan Chickpea Tuna And Potato Mornay
Equipment
- Skillet/deep frying pan or similar, non-stick
- Saucepan
- Casserole dish about 8in (20cm) diameter or a deep baking pan or individual large ramekins/gratin dishes
Ingredients
For the base of the Mornay:
- 60 grams spinach
- 800 grams potatoes cooked and chopped into large chunks, use baby/small new potatoes if possible and keep those whole if small or halved
- ½ teaspoon dried dill or use a tablespoon of fresh dill, more to taste
To cook the tuna chickpea mix:
- 2 tablespoon vegan butter or margarine, or replace with ½ cup veggie stock
Tuna chickpea mix:
- 1 can chickpeas 400g/ 14 oz can, drained (around 240g cooked chickpeas) roughly mashed, keep some chickpeas whole in the mash
- 100 grams sweetcorn fresh/frozen/canned
- 100 grams red onion 1 medium, diced
- 80 grams celery 2 small ribs, diced
- 1 tablespoon fish seasoning vegan herb blend, or another seasoning mix blend (use a salt free herb mix)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice juice from half a small lemon
For the Mornay sauce:
- 2 tablespoon plain flour heaped tablespoons, or all-purpose/gluten-free plain flour
- 600 millilitres plant milk
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper a pinch, use more to taste
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
For the topping:
- 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes use more if liked
- 1 tablespoon bread crumbs this recipe used gluten-free rice breadcrumbs, add more if liked
Garnish:
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley use more if liked, or replace with chives, spring/green onions, dill
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 160 Fan/ 180 Celsius/ 356 Fahrenheit/ Gas 4.
Cook the potatoes:
- Either steam or boil the potatoes until soft, and then drain the liquid. Keep the skins on if unblemished for extra nutrition.
Prepare the bottom layer of the mornay:
- Add the spinach to the bottom of your casserole dish. Chop the potatoes into bite sized pieces if necessary and pop the potatoes on top and sprinkle with dill.
While the potatoes are cooking prepare the chickpea tuna:
- Add the finely diced red onion and celery to a bowl, mix through the fish seasoning herbs, lemon juice and sweetcorn.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Heat a tablespoon of oil or ½ cup of veggie stock in a pan, and cook the chickpea mix over a medium heat for 10 minutes. Stir frequently. Add a few extra tablespoons of stock if required.
Prepare the sauce:
- Stir through the two heaped tablespoons of plain flour and cook for a further one minute. Stir frequently.
- Pour in the plant milk a little at a time into the floured chickpea tuna mix, mixing well each time. Bring to a simmer and gently bubble for 3-4 minutes.Mix through the tablespoon of white wine vinegar.
- Season with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste.
Assemble the mornay casserole:
- Pour the creamy sauce over the potatoes. Sprinkle over the nutritional yeast flakes and breadcrumbs.
- Bake for 25 minutes until lightly golden and bubbling.
Ready to serve:
- Chuck over some chopped fresh parsley. Yum!
Notes
- Nutritional information is provided for guidance only and is not a strict analysis as ingredients vary.
- Store leftovers in the fridge, within a covered container, for up to 3 days.
- Remove leftovers from the fridge about 30 minutes before reheating. Place in a a baking dish, cover with a layer of foil, and reheat at the cooking temperature until piping hot throughout. Check after 20 minutes for doneness.
- For a gluten-free chickpea tuna mornay use a gluten-free plain flour mix for the sauce, and gluten-free breadcrumbs for the topping. I used gluten-free rice breadcrumbs. Also ensure that your fish seasoning herb blend is free of gluten ingredients, and if a vegan margarine or vegan stock is used to cook the chickpea tuna mix make sure those are also free of gluten ingredients.
- Looking for a chickpea tuna sandwich filling? Check out the recipe FAQs and notes within the post.
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