Spinach and Tuna Salad
ほうれん草のツナサラダ
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
This is one of the simplest ways to get leafy greens onto a child's plate: soft blanched spinach and thin carrot matchsticks tossed with tuna and a light soy-vinegar dressing. Heating the dressing first cooks off the sharp edge of the vinegar, so it tastes mellow rather than sour, and the tuna adds a savory richness that children love. Toasted white sesame seeds finish it with a nutty aroma that makes the vegetables that much easier to eat.
Wheat-free, but uses soy sauce (made with wheat). Japanese school-lunch allergy menus usually allow it, so check with your doctor. How to read the labels
Added. Open the recipe helper (bottom right) → ☰ Menu → 🛒 Shopping list to see the ingredients for your family size.
Printing uses the number of adults and children set under Ingredients, so set those first.
Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 51 gspinach
- 18 gcarrot
- 9 gcanned tuna (in oil)
Seasonings
- 1.8 gwhite sesame seeds
- 1 gvinegar
- 2.6 gsoy sauce
- 1 gsugar
Directions
- 1
Cut the carrot into short, thin matchsticks. Cut the spinach into 2 cm lengths and drain the oil from the canned tuna.
- 2
Boil the carrot and the spinach separately. Rinse under running water to cool.
- 3
Combine the dressing ingredients and heat them to cook off the sharpness of the vinegar. Toast the white sesame seeds (this can be skipped).
- 4
Squeeze the vegetables from step 2 to remove excess water, then toss with the tuna and the dressing from step 3.
Toasting the sesame seeds brings out a nutty aroma that makes the vegetables easier for children to eat (you can skip this step to save time).
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 55.5 kcal | 111 kcal | 55.5 kcal |
| Protein | 3.3 g | 6.6 g | 3.3 g |
| Fat | 3.2 g | 6.3 g | 3.2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 4.8 g | 9.6 g | 4.8 g |
| Fiber | 2.3 g | 4.5 g | 2.3 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.5 g | 0.9 g | 0.5 g |
| Calcium | 51 mg | 102 mg | 51 mg |
| Iron | 1.2 mg | 2.4 mg | 1.2 mg |
| Potassium | 445.5 mg | 891 mg | 445.5 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 55.5 kcal | 3.3 g | 3.2 g | 4.8 g | 2.3 g | 0.5 g | 51 mg | 1.2 mg | 445.5 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 111 kcal | 6.6 g | 6.3 g | 9.6 g | 4.5 g | 0.9 g | 102 mg | 2.4 mg | 891 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
