15 Delicious Recipes for A Can Of Tuna

Most people have that can or two of tuna sitting in the cupboard or pantry. Canned tuna is awesome convenience food and only needs a few additions to make a full meal. These fifteen recipes for a can of tuna will help you use up those one to two cans and show you just how good canned tuna can taste. These canned tuna recipes are simple, quick, and easy to make and help pinch pennies when needed.

1. Tuna Patties

Freshly cooked, clean eating tuna patties sit on a plate with a lemon wedge, ready to eat.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

Tuna patties are a fast, tasty, and easy option for dinner tonight. They fry up quickly because the tuna is already cooked. Serve these with a green salad, a baked potato, or even some rice or wild rice. They go well with steamed veggies too, and leftovers work well in salads for lunch the next day. Just break them up into your greens.

2. Easy Tuna Wrap

A cut and stacked tuna wrap on a wood cutting board.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

This easy tuna wrap is a quick and easy option for lunch or dinner. The tuna filling can be made in about 5 minutes and there is no cooking involved. Simply add a lettuce layer and roll up the tuna wrap. These are great for lunch on the go if you wrap them well, and all that protein is super filling, which means you won’t be hungry until dinner if you have these for lunch.

3. No-Noodle Tuna Casserole

A spoon lifts some no noodle tuna casserole out of a casserole dish.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

If tuna casserole sounds good but all that pasta doesn’t, this no-noodle tuna casserole version is a perfect option. It’s all that great tuna casserole flavor without the heaviness of the pasta that usually comes in a tuna noodle casserole. This is great served with a green salad on the side if you want to round out the meal even further.

4. Tuna Pinwheels

Tuna Pinwheels in a bento container.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

If you need lunch on the go, these tuna pinwheels are a fun and tasty option. You may need a few napkins with this one, but it’s an alternative to a regular tuna sandwich, and it’s fun for kids for school lunches, too. These are easy to eat if you wrap and slice them small, making them much less messy.

5. Tuna Melt

A Tuna Melt served on a white plate.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

Have a little time to make some lunch today? These tuna melt will carry you through the rest of your day with ease. These tuna melts are filling, decadent, and delicious. They are great served with a side of fries, onion rings, vegetable sticks, a green salad, or any other sandwich side you prefer. While these are good cold, eat this one while it’s still warm for the best sandwich experience.

6. Tuna Salad

An overhead view of a decorative bowl holding a serving of traditional tuna salad.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

Sometimes, a simple tuna salad is all that is needed to make a meal. This recipe only calls for a few simple ingredients that are probably already in your kitchen. Toss this up and enjoy it as is for a high-protein lunch or dinner, or serve it over lettuce greens for a proper salad.

7. Tuna Fish Sandwich

Sandwich with tuna, olives and lemon. Delicious lunch, healthy food, snack with fish on crispy toast
Photo Credit: Lapina Maria/Shutterstock.

A good tuna fish sandwich is a true art form. If you get the balance of ingredients right, few things can beat it, especially when put on really delicious bread. This sandwich recipe is fast and easy to make with minimal ingredients and works well for lunch or dinner any day of the week.

8. Tuna Stuffed Avocados

Two avocado halves stuffed with tuna salad.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

This high-protein and high-healthy-fats recipe is the type of small meal that refuses to let you get hungry until dinnertime. These tuna stuffed avocados are a great way to power through your afternoon. They can easily be paired with a green side salad if you want more veggies, and they are perfect for low-carb or keto eaters too. But you don’t have to eat low-carb to thoroughly enjoy these.

9. Tuna Pasta Salad

A white bowl holds a serving of tuna pasta salad and is garnished with fresh greens.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

Tuna pasta salad is about to become a new family favorite. This simple dish takes minimal prep while the pasta cooks and is then simply stirred together once the pasta has been drained. You can enjoy this warm or cold, so leftovers are just as delicious as the first time you make this. It packs well for lunches and is a great stand-alone meal unless you want to round things out a bit with some sides, such as salad and maybe some garlic bread.

10. Tuna Noodle Casserole

A bowl filled with tuna noodle casserole sits on a table as a spoon lifts a spoonful of it up and out of the bowl.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

If noodles are a must for you, this tuna noodle casserole is a creamy, cheesy, decadent way to enjoy a comfort-style casserole for dinner tonight. This pairs well with garlic bread or dinner rolls, and the leftovers taste just as great the next day if you want to pack this up to take to work.

11. Air Fryer Tuna Melt

Air Fryer Toasted Tuna Melt Sandwich Ready to Eat on a white plate.
Photo Credit: Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock.

For a healthier alternative to traditional frying, try the air fryer tuna melt. It delivers all the flavor and crispy texture of a classic tuna melt but with significantly less oil. Serve this lighter option with chips, fries, a green salad, or a piece of fruit to complete the meal.

12. Tuna Vegetable Salad

A closeup of a slice of bread topped with lettuce greens and some Tuna Vegetable Salad.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

A heartier tuna salad can be the salad that solves the problem of getting hungry before it’s time for dinner. This tuna vegetable salad has spices, tomatoes, and even hard-boiled eggs added to make this a far more filling dish, whether you eat it on its own or serve it on bread for a sandwich. This works well in a wrap with some lettuce as well.

13. Tuna Burgers

Tuna burger on a black board. Wooden background.
Photo Credit: Victoria Tori Dim/Shutterstock.

A hearty, filling tuna burgers is a delicious and unique option for lunch or dinner. You can use a tuna steak if you prefer, but this delicious burger is made using canned tuna. Serve a green side salad or some fries to go with that burger.

14. Tuna Waldorf Salad

An overhead view of Tuna Waldorf Salad in a white bowl on a bed of lettuce.
Photo Credit: Running To The Kitchen.

With fruits, veggies, seeds, and nuts, this delicious tuna Waldorf salad is a powerhouse of high-protein goodness. It’s a hearty and filling salad that is both healthy and delicious. The creamy dressing is made with Greek yogurt and is wonderful served over greens. This is a refreshing salad you’ll make again and again.

15. Italian Tuna White Bean Salad

A white bowl filled with Italian tuna white bean salad.
Photo Credit: XOXO Bella.

Italian tuna white bean salad is a wonderfully filling dish that is as versatile as it is delicious. While the recipe calls for cooking up some tuna steaks, feel free to substitute canned tuna instead. use canned and drained beans along with some dried spices and fresh onions for a wonderful salad that works for either lunch or dinner.

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Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

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Author: Tiffany McCauley

Title: Food and Travel Journalist

Expertise: Food, cooking, travel

Bio:

Tiffany McCauley is a nationally syndicated journalist and an award-winning cookbook author and food blogger. She has been featured on MSN, Huffington Post, Country Living Magazine, HealthLine, Redbook, and many more. Her food specialty is healthy comfort food recipes.

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