The Can Everyone Forgets About
Canned tuna gets shoved to the back of the pantry behind the chickpeas and the coconut milk, and honestly, that's a crime. It's shelf-stable, cheap (still under $2 a can if you stick with the pouch or the basic Chicken of the Sea/StarKist varieties), packed with protein, and doesn't require you to plan ahead like frozen chicken breasts do. One can, five completely different dinners, zero trips to the store.
The trick is not treating every can the same way. Depending on what you're making, you want either oil-packed or water-packed tuna, and knowing which is which changes everything.
The One Thing That Makes This Work: Drain It Right
Whatever you're making, drain the tuna well — press it against the side of the can or use a fine mesh strainer for a few seconds. Excess liquid is the difference between a tuna melt that holds together and one that turns your bread into mush. If a recipe calls for the oil (like a quick pasta), reserve it separately instead of dumping it down the sink — it's already flavored and works great as a base for dressing.
Five Ways to Use One Can
1. Classic Tuna Melt. Mix drained tuna with 2 tbsp mayo, a squeeze of lemon, diced celery, and black pepper. Pile onto sourdough, top with cheddar, and broil for 2–3 minutes until bubbly.
2. Five-Minute Tuna Pasta. Toss drained tuna (oil-packed works best here) with cooked spaghetti, a splash of the reserved oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, and lemon zest. No sauce needed — the oil and pasta water do the work.
3. Tuna Salad Lettuce Wraps. Same tuna salad base as the melt, but skip the bread — scoop into butter lettuce leaves for a lighter lunch that still feels like an actual meal.
4. Tuna Cakes. Combine tuna with an egg, ½ cup breadcrumbs, diced onion, and a spoonful of mustard. Form into patties and pan-fry in a bit of oil for 3–4 minutes per side until golden. Serve with a quick yogurt-dill sauce.
5. Tuna Rice Bowl. Flake tuna over warm rice with soy sauce, sesame oil, a soft-boiled egg, and sliced cucumber for a rice-bowl dinner that tastes way fancier than the ingredient list suggests.
Grocery List
- 2–3 cans tuna (oil-packed for pasta, water-packed for salads)
- Mayo, mustard, lemon
- Celery, onion, cucumber
- Sourdough or other sturdy bread
- Cheddar cheese
- Spaghetti
- Eggs, breadcrumbs
- Rice, soy sauce, sesame oil
- Butter lettuce
The Bottom Line
For under $10 in canned tuna plus pantry staples you probably already have, you can build five dinners that don't repeat themselves once. It's the kind of hack that makes a grocery run feel like it went a lot further than it actually did.
