14 Tuna Recipes – Budget Bytes

Fresh fish isn’t always an option when you’re shopping on a budget, but canned tuna makes it easy to get a protein-rich, nutrient-dense option. It is a great, shelf-stable, consumable source of lean protein all types food. I mean simple weeknight dinners, snacks, meal prep lunches, and loaded salads! This collection of 14 tuna recipes makes it easy to mix things up throughout the week without needing anything fancy or expensive.

Easy and Affordable Meals from Tuna

A few cans of tuna make a great weeknight dinner when you need something quick but still filling. This section contains delicious comfort foods, quick pastas, and fresh bowls that are great for when you don’t want to heat anything.

1. Tuna Patties

You won’t believe how easy these tuna patties are to make, and I love that they use pantry staples like breadcrumbs and mayo. The seasonings are also flexible, so you can adapt them to whatever your family has on hand that week. Great on salads, stuffed into pita, or with your favorite dip!

2. Tuna Noodle Casserole

This is a classic comfort casserole, but made from scratch with a creamy mushroom sauce (plus peas and tuna) and a simple Parmesan breadcrumb topping. I would freeze leftover tuna casserole in single portions to make it easier to prepare for future dinners.

3. Creamy Tuna Pasta

Creamy tuna pasta is a weeknight savior with noodles, peas, parmesan and a delicious creamy sauce. Use light tuna chunks to keep costs down, or choose firm albacore tuna if you want more tuna chunks throughout the dish. I also love how customizable this recipe is, as you can easily add spinach, herbs, pesto, or a squeeze of lemon depending on what you need!

4. Spicy Tuna Guacamole Bowl

This spicy tuna guacamole bowl is fresh, filling, and made for meal prep without reheating, with rice, tuna, crunchy vegetables, edamame, guacamole, sriracha, and sesame seeds. If guac is a bit pricey for you, this recipe is still a great template for making a dinner bowl based on whatever you have on hand!

Sandwiches & Wraps

This easy recipe is GREAT for a quick lunch, a simple dinner, or something I can prepare once and make over the course of a few days.

5. Tuna Melt

This tuna melt is pure restaurant-style comfort! A creamy tuna salad (celery, red onions, pickles) is tossed in sourdough with cheddar, then baked in butter until crunchy and gooey. It’s basically a promoted grilled cheese, and it’s a great way to make canned tuna taste like a real nurse. 😋

6. Tuna Wrap

This one is our classic tuna salad wrapped in romaine and tomatoes, and the layer of lettuce is a little trick that keeps things from getting soggy and messy. I’ve also included an easy trick for keeping the wrap closed! For my family, these tuna wraps are the school lunch hero because I can prepare the filling in advance, then make the wrap the night before!

Filling Salad with Tuna

You have lots of different options here! From classic creamy to mayo-free, plus bold flavors like sesame and gochujang, this tuna salad will never taste like you’re eating the same lunch over and over again.

7. Classic Tuna Salad

Bland mushy tuna salad? Never heard of him. This classic tuna salad brings all the textures into one budget-friendly recipe. It’s packed with crunchy celery, walnuts, And green onions, plus lemon to keep it bright.

8. Mediterranean Tuna Salad

This Mediterranean tuna salad is fresh and filling without being heavy, thanks to a simple vinaigrette instead of a mayo-based dressing. It holds up well in the fridge, so it’s perfect when you want to prepare it in advance and not worry about anything getting soggy or dull.

9. Tuna Pasta Salad

Our classic potluck style tuna pasta salad is cool, creamy, and easy to make, with snow peas and a lemon dill mayo dressing. This is one that I keep in the fridge for quick lunches as it keeps well once cold!

10. Salad Nicoise

Salad Niçoise is a truly filling salad, and my recipe here features crunchy greens, creamy potatoes, hard-boiled eggs and budget-friendly canned tuna. You’ll love the mix of textures, and although the preparation requires more than a basic salad, the taste So worth it once you’re done (and perfect for lunches throughout the week!)

11. Tuna White Bean Salad

This tuna white bean salad is the ultimate pantry lunch! It’s just canned beans + tuna + scallions with a simple olive oil and lemon dressing, and it’s done in minutes.

12. Sesame Tuna Salad

This sesame tuna salad is combined with a mixture of soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, brown sugar and sesame seeds. Great when you want big flavor from a small ingredient list! I can see this one served many different ways: with crackers, cucumber slices, in a lettuce wrap, or piled on top of a vegetable salad!

13. Gochujang Tuna Salad

If you want a bolder, spicy lunch, this 4-ingredient gochujang tuna salad combines mayo with gochujang for a salty-sweet umami flavor, then adds tuna and scallions. I love keeping gochujang in my fridge, because once you have it, you’ll find a million ways to use it!

14. Sweet & Spicy Tuna Salad Without Mayonnaise

Our mayo-free sweet & spicy tuna salad is a nice change, with shredded carrots and scallions plus a sweet-and-hot blend of brown sugar, vinegar, cayenne pepper and smoked paprika. It’s bold, quick, and super handy for meal prep when you want something lighter but still flavorful!