Creamed tuna is a longtime family favorite – my mother used to make it as a go-to dish, particularly in the summertime or when we were camping. Since we’ve been vegetarian (for the last 15 years or so), I’ve missed it tremendously! We haven’t had many occasions to have a creamed tuna substitute in the last decade or so – not since Tuno went off the market, anyway, which has been at least 10 years now. So after several successful outings with Sophie’s Kitchen’s Vegan Toona, I knew it was time to give it the test of a lifetime. How would it hold in creamed “tuna”?
The full recipe is below, but the shortened version is: I prepared a basic flour-and-almond-milk cream sauce, then added the toona to the pot – we used the Black-Pepper Toona tonight – and stirred everything around to mix it thoroughly. I spooned the creamed tuna over English muffins, served some steamed mixed vegetables alongside, and dinner was ready! From end to end, it took about 15 minutes of preparation time; not too shabby for a night when we were short on time and energy. (Tonight was a shelter night for me, and LeeLee had to bring some work home to finish up.)
The finished product reminded me so much of my mother’s creamed tuna, it was amazing. Instantly, I was transported back to my family’s dinner table (the actual table is now at our home!), where I ate serving after serving, unable to get enough. That was the case tonight, as well; we cleaned the saucepan out! We’re not proud. Just hungry after a long day of work.
In short, this meal was a definitive success. We’ll certainly make it again and again!
VEGAN CREAMED TUNA OVER ENGLISH MUFFINS
Serves two-four
What you’ll need:
4 English muffins
¼ cup vegan butter
¼ cup flour
2 cups almond milk
1 can vegan tuna
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
First, toast your English muffins. I like to handle all four at once by opening them up and putting them on a baking sheet, baking them at about 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Once they’re in the oven, it’s time to make the creamed tuna!
Next, make a roux by melting the butter in a saucepan and then whisking the flour in to make a paste. Once those two ingredients are combined, add the milk and whisk continuously until the mixture becomes a cream sauce (this always takes me 5-7 minutes).
After you’ve got your sauce in order, it’s time to add the tuna! So spoon in your vegan “tuna” and be sure it separates nicely, rather than forming big clumps within the cream sauce. Next, add salt and pepper, stir to combine, heat everything through, and let stand until the muffins are toasted.
To serve, simply place two muffins on a plate and spoon a heaping helping of creamed “tuna” atop each open-face slice. Serve alongside a vegetable or salad to round out the meal, and enjoy!
:)