Quick and nutritious: four inventive ways to transform canned tuna into satisfying meals

Marisa Cortéz shares innovative and speedy recipes using canned tuna, proving how this versatile pantry staple can become four wholesome dishes in just 10 to 20 minutes, offering both convenience and health benefits.

If you have a couple of tins of tuna in the cupboard, Marisa Cortéz says they can answer the old question of what to make for dinner. Her idea is simple: turn one pantry staple into four quick meals, all ready in about 10 to 20 minutes and each serving two or three people generously.

The appeal is not only speed. Canned tuna is widely recognised as a useful source of protein, omega-3 fats, selenium and B vitamins, including B12. Health sites such as Healthline, WebMD and Pfizer’s health education material also note that tuna can be a practical protein choice with relatively little fat, although they caution that mercury content means it should still be eaten sensibly, especially by pregnant women and young children.

The fastest of Cortéz’s ideas is a creamy tuna pasta with tomato. It starts with short pasta, then a quick sauce of onion, tomato, tuna and either cream cheese or cream, finished with dried herbs. In roughly 15 minutes, it becomes a warm, filling dish without much more than a pan and a pot.

For something more substantial, she suggests tuna patties or little fish cakes made by mixing drained tuna with eggs, breadcrumbs, onion and parsley, then pan-frying them until crisp on the outside. Cortéz says they come out “crocantes por fuera, tiernas por dentro”, and they can be served with salad or tucked into a sandwich. Another option is an express tuna tart, which does not need kneading and can be baked or cooked in a pan. The filling combines tuna with hard-boiled eggs, sautéed onion and, optionally, peppers, plus a spoonful of cream cheese or mayonnaise.

For a cold meal, her tuna, rice and egg salad works as a quick salpicón. Cooked rice is mixed with tuna, chopped boiled eggs, sweetcorn or peas, tomato and a little mayonnaise and lemon. It is the sort of recipe that makes pantry cooking feel less like improvising and more like planning: versatile, economical and ready when time is short.