Tomato Tonnato Recipe: The Budget-Friendly Alternative to a Classic

Vitello tonnato is an Italian classic: thin slices of poached veal with a cold tuna, caper and mayonnaise sauce. The problem is that veal is expensive and not a weeknight staple.

Tomato tonnato solves this elegantly. The tuna sauce stays the same — a creamy, briny, lightly acidic sauce built from canned tuna, mayo and capers — but instead of veal, thick slices of ripe tomatoes go underneath. The result is light, satisfying enough for dinner, and costs a fraction of the original.

Ingredients for 4 Servings

For the tomatoes

  • 6–8 medium ripe tomatoes (approx. 800g)
  • Flaky sea salt
  • 1 tbsp good olive oil

For the tonnato sauce

  • 1 can of tuna in brine or water (185g, drained)
  • 4 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp capers (plus a little of the brine)
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 2–3 tbsp water or tuna brine to thin the sauce

To garnish

  • Capers
  • Fresh flat-leaf parsley or basil
  • Optional: anchovy fillets, black olives, lemon zest

Cost: approximately €3.20 for 4 servings (around 80 cents per serving)

Method

Step 1: Make the tonnato sauce

Blend the tuna, mayonnaise, capers, lemon juice and mustard together in a blender or with a stick blender until completely smooth. If the sauce is too thick, thin it with a little water or the brine from the tuna can. The target is a creamy but still pourable consistency — somewhere between thick yoghurt and double cream.

Season with salt and pepper. The sauce keeps for up to three days in the fridge.

Step 2: Prepare the tomatoes

Slice the tomatoes into rounds about 1 cm thick. They should be properly ripe — soft, flavourful summer tomatoes work far better here than the firm, bland ones that come in winter.

Arrange the slices on a plate or serving board. Sprinkle lightly with salt and leave for 5 minutes to let the juices release slightly.

Step 3: Assemble and serve

Spoon the tonnato sauce generously over the tomato slices. Garnish with capers, fresh herbs and a thin drizzle of olive oil. Serve immediately or let it sit for a few minutes to let the flavours settle.

Why Tomato Tonnato Works So Well

The combination of sweet-acidic tomato and the umami-rich tuna sauce is surprisingly complete. The sauce provides salt, fat and depth; the tomato gives freshness and texture. With good bread on the side, this is a full meal.

The dish is also almost entirely prep-ahead. The sauce can be made days in advance; the tomatoes are sliced just before serving. That makes tomato tonnato ideal for guests or for evenings when you want the result without the kitchen effort.

How to Shop for This Recipe Cheaply

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are seasonal. Between July and September they cost roughly half what they do in winter and taste dramatically better. Keeping an eye on weekly Aldi offers regularly turns up tomatoes on promotion — plum tomatoes, salad tomatoes and vine tomatoes all work equally well here.

Canned tuna

Canned tuna is one of the cheapest seafood products in any supermarket. A 185g can under a store-brand label at Aldi or Lidl typically costs under 90 cents. For a blended sauce, the difference between cheap and premium tuna is barely noticeable.

Capers

Capers are intense in flavour, so a small amount goes a long way. A small jar keeps for weeks in the fridge after opening, making them one of the most efficient flavour investments in the pantry.

For more ideas on making the most of a few cheap ingredients, see our guide to quick recipes under €5.

Variations

With eggs: Slice hard-boiled eggs and arrange alongside the tomatoes. It adds substance without adding much cost. Our creamy egg salad recipe uses a similar flavour profile — eggs, mayo, capers — which shows how naturally these ingredients go together.

With mozzarella: Slice a ball of mozzarella and alternate with the tomato rounds. It resembles a caprese but the tonnato sauce gives it an entirely different depth.

Vegan: Replace mayonnaise with vegan mayo, and replace tuna with drained chickpeas blended with 1 tsp nori flakes for a sea-like flavour. The result is surprisingly close to the original.

How Flyva Helps with the Shopping

Getting the most from this recipe means buying tomatoes when they are actually in season and on offer. Flyva tracks current promotions from supermarkets near you and suggests recipes based on what is discounted this week. When tomatoes are on sale, this recipe shows up in your weekly plan — with a ready-made shopping list.

If you want a simple system for eating well and cheaply without manually checking flyers every week, that is exactly what Flyva does. See how it works.

The Bottom Line

Tomato tonnato is the ideal summer dish: fast to make, visually impressive, genuinely cheap, and elegant enough to put in front of guests. The tuna sauce can be made well in advance; the tomatoes are prepped at the last minute. Once you taste the contrast between the punchy sauce and the fresh tomato, it will become a regular in the rotation.