Tinned Food Salad
Who says you can make a salad only with fresh ingredients?
My friend Sarah Benjamin and I call this a “Pantry Salad”. It’s a salad formed with literally whatever we had in the pantry, hence the name!
Our goal was to prove that you can still have a nutritious (and delicious!) meal using whatever you have on hand. We used convenient foods for this dish and it turned out super yummy.
Like I’ve mentioned in my past salad recipes, I like my salads with texture + flavour + colour. This salad right here ticks all those boxes.
So for days when you don’t have any fresh produce available and don’t have time to get groceries, this is the recipe for you.
I just have two tips for you to keep in mind:
Always read the ingredients list. Aim for salt-free and sugar-free ingredients where possible. Otherwise, adjust your dressing accordingly.
When making a salad, start with the dressing. This way there’s less clean up and you can ensure that every bit of your salad is coated.
By the way, we only built this with what we had available, but you don’t have to keep it fully pantry-based. If you have some fresh herbs or salad leaves, you can definitely add those in! If you’d like to bulk it up, boiled pasta would do well in this dish too.
If you want to try out or version (which I highly recommend) or happen to have the same ingredients, I’ve written the recipe for you below!
THE RECIPE
SERVES 2-3
Ingredients
Base:
1 tin of your favourite legume (drained)
Lentils, chickpeas, mixed beans
Ideally in water, without added salt
1 tin of your favourite canned fish (drained)
Tuna, mackerel, sardines
Add-ons:
2 tbsp roasted peppers, sliced
6-7 olives, chopped
3-4 artichoke hearts, chopped
1 tbsp pickles, chopped
1/2 tin of corn (ideally without added sugar)
2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
Alternatives: sun-dried tomatoes, capers, nuts
Dressing:
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or pickle juice!)
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Black pepper
Directions
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar (or pickle juice), extra-virgin olive oil, and black pepper to make the dressing.
Add the legumes and tinned fish directly into the bowl with the dressing.
Add the roasted peppers, chopped olives, chopped artichoke hearts, chopped pickles, and corn…and any other ingredients you’d like to add in!
Mix everything gently until well combined and evenly coated in the dressing.
Quarter the hard-boiled eggs and place them on top of the salad just before serving.
Taste and adjust seasoning if needed, then enjoy!