17 Cheap & Easy Canned Tuna Recipes for Quick Weeknight Dinners
These quick-and-easy recipes help you save money on groceries without sacrificing flavor.
If every trip to the grocery store serves up a heaping helping of sticker shock, head straight for the canned fish aisle on your next trip. A can of tuna is one of the most affordable, convenient pantry staples you can keep on hand—it’s packed with protein, lasts for ages, and can turn into everything from quick lunches to surprisingly impressive dinners in minutes.
Toss it into pasta, turn it into crispy fish cakes, stuff it into bell peppers, layer it onto toast or bagels, or bake it into cozy casseroles the whole family will love. When dinner needs to be cheap, fast, and filling, canned tuna delivers.
Tuna Empanadas
Use store-bought pie dough to ensure these empanadas come together in a snap. They make a great after-school snack or perfect party food that guests will gobble up.
Tuna and White Bean Panzanella
Use a good-quality country-style bread when making panzanella to make sure that it doesn't start breaking down when tossed with the dressing.
Get the recipe for Tuna and White Bean Panzanella.
Tuna-Stuffed Bell Peppers
The entire family will dig into these sweet bell peppers stuffed with a combination of tuna, celery, and cornichon and topped with crunchy saltine crackers and melted cheddar. Serve with a side of rice or homemade no-knead bread.
Niçoise Toast
This twist on a salad Niçoise opts for crispy potato chips in place of boiled potatoes and skips the croutons by loading everything up on a hunk of baguette. Yum and yum.
Get the recipe for Niçoise Toast.
Tuna Cakes on Greens
This hearty yet healthy meal serves up Old Bay–seasoned crispy tuna cakes on a bed of fresh greens.
Get the recipe for Tuna Cakes on Greens.
Tuna Dip
Build a snack board around this slightly spicy (from the addition of Tabasco) and creamy (from cream cheese) tuna dip.
Get the recipe for Tuna Dip.
Saltine Tuna Melts
Pair these melts with a green salad for a light lunch or serve on their own as an after-school snack.
Get the recipe for Saltine Tuna Melts.
Tuna Caesar Salad
A mayo-based Caesar goes from a side dish to the main meal with the addition of canned tuna.
The Best Tuna Salad
Of course, the easiest thing you can do with a can of tuna is make the world's most classic tuna salad. We feel confident you'll like this recipe, with just the right proportions of herbs, veggies, and mayo.
Pair it with crackers, add some pickles, cheese, and fruit, and you've got a simple snack dinner that can't be beat.
Tuna Melt
Want to make that tuna a little more interesting? Get some bread and some cheese, and cook yourself a tuna melt. There's a reason these sandwiches have been such a big hit for so many years: They're yummy.
Tuna Patties
Elegant, tender cakes of fish, mixed with seasoning and bread crumbs, then fried, are delightful as an appetizer, or as a protein atop a light salad. This recipe calls for canned salmon, but you can use any kind of fish—including canned tuna!
Classic Tuna Macaroni Salad
Who doesn't love Tuna Macaroni Salad? This kid- (and adult-) friendly, super-scoopable dish is a tasty way to fill out picnic plates, and a healthy dinner on its own.
Tuna and Creamed Spinach Fettuccine
This fast weeknight dish is an easy way to get a healthy meal on the table in a hurry. Though the recipe calls for canned salmon, simply sub in a similar amount of canned tuna. It'll taste great.
Tuna Noodle Casserole
This classic pantry-food dinner is quick, filling, and, most importantly, yummy.
Salade Niçoise
Rillettes
Rillettes—an old-fashioned method of preserving meat in fat or cream—turn out to be one of those impossibly tasty cracker toppings.
This recipe calls for salmon, but you can easily swap it for the same amount of canned tuna. Simply skip the poaching and cooling instructions, and proceed directly to Step 2.
Garden Tuna Salad Sandwich
The crisp anise flavor of fresh fennel contrasts nicely with the tart juice of Granny Smith apples, rich mayo, and buttery Boston lettuce. To make this easy canned tuna recipe really satisfying, use classic hot dog rolls, perhaps lightly toasted.
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