Canned Tuna: 10 Dinners That Aren't Salad

Canned tuna gets stuck in one lane: cold, with mayo, in a sad lunch. That is a waste of one of the cheapest high-protein foods in your cupboard. Warmed through and given a little flavour, a single tin turns into a proper dinner in about 15 minutes.

The trick with tuna is to treat it as a base, not the whole show. A little fat, acid, and a punchy ingredient or two turn it from plain into something you actually want to eat. Drain it well first so it does not water down whatever you build around it.

Three Things That Make Tuna Taste Better

1. Drain it properly. Press the lid down and tip out the liquid so the tuna can take on flavour instead of staying watery.
2. Add fat and acid. A little oil or butter and a squeeze of lemon or splash of vinegar wakes it right up.
3. Give it one strong friend. Garlic, chilli, capers, mustard, or a sharp cheese turns plain tuna into something with character.
4. Warm it gently. Tuna is already cooked, so you are heating it through, not frying it hard. Fold it in near the end.

1. Garlicky Tuna Pasta

The headline dinner. A tin of tuna and a handful of pasta make a fast, savoury bowl with no cream or sauce needed.

1. Cook the pasta and save a mug of the water before draining.
2. Gently warm a glug of oil with sliced garlic and a pinch of chilli until just golden.
3. Add the drained tuna and break it up, then toss in the pasta with a splash of the pasta water.
4. Finish with lemon, black pepper, and any herb. A spoon of capers or olives makes it sing.

2. Tuna Melt

Crispy, cheesy, and ready in five minutes. The hot version of a tuna sandwich and a hundred times better.

1. Mix the drained tuna with a spoon of mayo or yoghurt, a little mustard, and some chopped onion if you have it.
2. Pile it onto bread and top with a slice of cheese.
3. Toast in a dry pan, lid on, or under the grill until the cheese melts and the bread crisps.
4. Press it flat for a proper toasted-sandwich crunch.

3. Spicy Tuna Rice Bowl

Inspired by the viral version, and a genuinely good 10-minute dinner if you have leftover rice.

1. Mix the drained tuna with a spoon of mayo and a squeeze of sriracha or chilli sauce.
2. Warm some rice and spoon the tuna over it.
3. Add a drizzle of soy, a sprinkle of sesame, and anything crunchy like cucumber or spring onion.
4. A sheet of crumbled toasted seaweed on top is the finishing touch if you have it.

4. Tuna Patties

Crispy little cakes that turn a tin of tuna into a real plate with a side salad or some rice.

1. Mix the drained tuna with a beaten egg, a handful of breadcrumbs or mashed potato, and seasoning.
2. Shape into small patties and chill for a few minutes if you have time, so they hold.
3. Fry in a thin layer of hot oil for 3 minutes a side until golden and crisp.
4. Serve with a squeeze of lemon and a dollop of yoghurt or mayo.

6 More Warm Tuna Dinners

• Tuna and white bean stew: simmer tuna with a tin of beans, garlic, and tomato for a hearty bowl.
• Tuna pasta bake: stir tuna through pasta and a simple cheese sauce, top with cheese, and bake.
• Tuna fried rice: fold flaked tuna through fried rice in the last minute.
• Tuna quesadilla: tuna and cheese in a tortilla, toasted until crisp and oozing.
• Tuna stuffed peppers: mix with rice and bake inside halved peppers.
• Tuna and egg fried scramble: warm flaked tuna folded through soft scrambled eggs on toast.