ISO: recipes using canned tuna

[jazzyjas]

Hi,
My sisiter has become over-run with canned tuna (she gets it free) and is looking for new recipes to use it up -- there is only so much of my famous tuna pasta salad a person can eat.
So thanks is advance for all of your canned tuna recipes.

Jasmine

[SusanT]

I have a tuna noodle casserole recipe from the new edition of Joy of Cooking that DH and I just love. I make it with whole wheat noodles. I'll be happy to post it if you're not adverse to tuna casserole.

[DmOrtega]

Tuna & Pasta

We've been making this for years and it's always good.

Cook 1 lb pasta. Add 2 tablespoons of margarine, stir and set aside.

In a small skillet, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, saute chopped garlic. Before it turns brown add a quarter cup of chopped parsley. Cook another minute. Take off of the heat add 2 cans of drained tuna. Stir.

Mix with pasta gently. Add a quarter cup of parmesean and juice of 1 lemon, or to taste.

You can play around with the measurements. It really is up to you. It is not complicated and really fast. Leftovers taste good.

[wallycat]

aside from tuna salad (I use chopped onions, some fresh parsley if I have it and thawed peas :) )....

You can toss some into pasta with red sauce, you could make tuna cakes (instead of salmon)...hmmm...
check out this website...maybe some ideas here:

http://www.wfoa-tuna.org/kitchen/recipes.htm

she could also donate it to a food pantry :)

[RUSTYSMOM]

Funny you should ask. I just made the Tuna Noodle Casserole from CL COmplete. It was wonderful - 2 cans tuna, frozen peas, egg noodles (I used pasta), can cream of mushroom (cant' remember specifics but am happy to post if you want it. Even my 2 and 4 year old really enjoyed!

[cryskie]

hi jazzyjas! i'm not sure where i got these recipes, but we use them all the time.

Tuna Ceviche (don't know where this was from)

6 oz tuna, drained
1 cup red onion, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Combine all and season with salt and pepper. Chill for 15 minutes. Serve with saltines or tortilla chips.

(We usually use less onion, and sometimes I'll make it the night before and take this for lunch.)


Tuna Melt (CL Nov 1999; it was called Altuna Melt and they served it on English muffins)

1/2 cup drained canned artichoke hearts, finely chopped
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
6 ounces tuna, drained and flaked
3 whole pitas, warmed in the oven
6 tablespoons grated provolone or Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat broiler. Combine first 8 ingredients in a medium bowl. Divide evenly and spread on pitas; sprinkle with cheese. Place on a baking sheet; broil 5 inches from heat for 4 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 3 servings.



Tuna Noodle Casserole (I think this one's from Better Homes & Gardens)

3 cups medium noodles (4 ounces)
1/4 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3/4 cup milk
1 (9 1/4 ounce) can tuna, drained and broken into chunks
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

Preheat oven to 375. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, combine bread crumbs and butter or margarine; set aside. For sauce, mix together soup and milk in a saucepan and heat thoroughly. Combine soup mixture, tuna, noodles, and vegetables. Transfer to an 8x8 casserole dish coated with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, 20 minutes or until bubbly.

(We use low-fat cream of mushroom, skim milk, and whatever size tuna we can find.)


Tuna Pasta Puttanesca (CL Jan/Feb 2000)

8 ounces uncooked gemelli or other short twisted pasta
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup chopped seeded tomato
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 (3 ounce) cans tuna, drained
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and keep warm. While pasta cooks, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic; saute 1 minute. Add tomato, pepper, and tuna, cook 3 minutes ro until thoroughly heated. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, and toss well.

(We put a lot of parsley in this one.)

I also noticed a Mediterranean Tuna Cake recipe on the front page of cookinglight.com. Hope that helps you out a little!

Crystal

[Wienie]

Jasmine, I put together the following recipe from two CL recipes. It's great. Makes a wonderful workweek lunch. It calls for Albacore tuna, but regular will work.
Jeanne

* Exported from MasterCook *

Tuna Picnic Couscous Salad

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Fish Salads


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1/2 c chicken broth -- or water
1/2 c uncooked couscous
1/4 c fat free sour cream
3 tbsps Lemonaise Light (or light mayo)
1 1/2 tbsps dijon mustard
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1 6 oz albacore tuna, canned -- drained
2 tbsps fresh lemon juice
1 15 oz canned black beans -- rinsed and drained
1/2 c chopped sweet onion
1 c chopped celery
1 c cherry tomatoes -- halved
1/2 c chopped pimiento stuffed olives
salt and pepper

Bring broth to boil, gradually stir in couscous. Remove from heat; cover
and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork; cool.

Mix sour cream, Lemonaise, mustard and lemon peel in small bowl with whisk
to blend. Coat tuna with lemon juice in large bowl by tossing. Mix in
beans, onion, celery, tomatoes, olives and dressing. Toss to
blend. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Cover and chill. Can be prepated 6 hours ahead.


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 295 Calories; 6g Fat (32.5%
calories from fat); 7g Protein; 20g Carbohydrate; 7g Dietary Fiber; 0mg
Cholesterol; 523mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 1
Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 0 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.


Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

[Jasmine-Rose]

Hi Jasmine,

The current issue of Cooks Illustrated has a feature on pasta sauces made with canned tuna, and the May/June issue had a feature on tuna salads. Here's a list of the recipes:

Classic Tuna Salad
Tuna Salad with Balsamic Vinegar and Grapes
Curried Tuna Salad with Apples and Currants
Tuna Salad with Lime and Horseradish
Tuna Salad with Cauliflower, Jalapeno and Cilantro

Pasta and Garlic-Lemon Tuna Sauce with Capers and Parsley
Pasta and Tomato Tuna Sauce with Garlic and Mint
Pasta and Red Pepper Tuna Sauce with Anchovies, Garlic and Basil
Pasta and Sicilian-Style Tuna Sauce with Raisins, Green Olives and Basil

You may be able to find the recipes on the website. If not, I'll type some in for you, as long as you promise to be a little patient - that's a lot of typing!

- E.

[MorningAWalker]

I make a kick-butt tuna salad, if I do say so, myself, where I try to get some more veggies in:
Albacore Tuna (though chunk light would do)
finely minced celery
chopped Bell peppers- green, of course, but red, orange, yellow add color, flavor, make it sweeter, "seems fancy" for a party or potluck
dash garlic & onion powder
s & p
DILL DIP MIX (there are plenty out there- you could use fresh dill, dehydrated dill, but the best flavor IMHO comes from the dry Dill Dip Mixes , say, for a can of tuna, half a packet or so)
2 TBSP Nayonnaise or Hellman's Mayo.
Stir it up well, fluffing all the chunks of tuna thoroughly, mix in other ingredients.
Serve wih an optional pickle slab or "stackers", on a crusty roll or slices of good bread. You can throw in a couple slices of tomatoes, crispy lettuce (Romaine or Iceberg). These ingredients stretch the can, too, you can make 4 hearty sandwhiches...
And yes, she could donate extra to a food pantry, even with these recipes, how sweet would that be, or uise it up for work lunches, potluck parties, dinner parties- she could make little cocktail sandwhiches using several recipes, for variety ...
OH! Almost forgot- this is a tip that caterers use: they combine hardboiled egg slices with regular tuna & mayo to "cut" the acidity or bitterness of the tuna flavor. And its yummy. To lighten, just use the hardboiled egg whites, sans the yolks. Have we helped??? Enjoy..

[MorningAWalker]

Capers added to reg old tuna salad is delish. Finely minced red onion, too.
Mom used to add relish to her's, which was a bit too sweet for me, but I think the premade tuna salad in most grocery stores employ this ingredient.
My Grandmother made a tuna salad sandwhich which was by all accounts normal, but she added green grapes, halved, to it, Apparently saw it in Cooks Illustrated Magazine. Its considered pretty gourmet, and some restaurants do that, supposedly cuts that acidity or fishyness. I just didn't like fruityness in my tuna, but it gets rave reviews.
There, I'm done. I hope visions of tuna fish don't dance in my head tonight!! (grin)

[sushibones]

I made the CI Pasta and Garlic-Lemon Tuna Sauce with Capers and Parsley a couple of weeks ago, and it was wonderful.

It would have been even better if the top of my pepper grinder had not come off while grinding, and dumped a whole mess of peppercorns into it just as I was ready to serve. I spooned out as many of the peppercorns as I could, served it, and we just carefully picked out the peppercorns as we ate (a tricky proposition since we didn't want to pick out the capers; also the peppercorns tended to hide in the middle of the penne). Nevertheless, this one is highly recommended.

Here is a recipe from Michele Uvater's Weeknight Family Dinner column from the 7/21/92 issue of Woman's Day. I adapted it, but in looking back on the original recipe, I discovered that my version is almost completely different from her version. Maybe I should be posting it on the thread asking for original recipes.

This is the original:

Sunny Couscous

2-1/2 cups water
1 box (10 oz) couscous
6 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 Tbsp dark oriental sesame oil
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp chili paste with garlic (optional)
1 can (15 oz) salmon or 1 can (12.5 oz) water-packed solid white tuna
1 can (8 oz) sliced water chestnuts
1 pkg (10 oz) frozen tiny green peas, thawed
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper to taste

Bring water to a boil in a medium-size saucepan. Remove from heat. Stir in couscous, cover and let stand 4-5 minutes until water is absorbed.

Meanwhile mix vinegar, oils, soy sauce and chile paste in a serving bowl until blended.

Drain tuna or salmon. Add to bowl, breaking up fish with a fork. Drain water chestnuts and add along with the thawed peas. Fluff couscous with a fork to separate grains. Add to bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Stir gently to mix all other ingredients. Serve immediately or cover and chill up to 2 days.


Here is my adapted version:

Oriental Pasta & Tuna Salad

Dressing
6 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp vegetable oil [or mild peanut oil]
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp chili paste with garlic

8 oz orzo, cooked and drained
[I originally used acini pepe, but like the orzo better]
1/3 cup green onions, finely chopped
1/3 cup radishes, finely chopped
8 oz tiny green peas, thawed or partially cooked
1 6 oz can tuna [I usually use regular tuna]

Combine dressing ingredients in a jar. Shake to blend well.

Combine orzo, green onions, radishes, peas, and dressing in a serving bowl. Add tuna and stir gently to blend.

I have also made this with canned chicken, or added red peppers (fresh or roasted) to this. It's a kind of throw-in-whatever-you-want kind of recipe. The amount and proportion of the oils can also be adjusted depending on the flavor you want.

[jazzyjas]

Susan. I laughed out loud -- how many times have I done this with spices. Then you try to salvage the dish anyway.

Thank you to everyone -- I will start compiling these for my sister and if you have more to add -- keep them coming

You all are a wonderful resource.

Jasmine

[nancy_east]

Unfortunately, I can't think of a tuna recipe to contribute, but I have a tuna question and thought someone might know the answer who's reading this thread! I read somewhere recently (may have been CL, but could have been one of a dozen mags that I take!) that you should limit your tuna intake to 1 can/week because of the high mercury content in canned tuna. Has anyone heard this and know if there is any truth to it? TIA!

[Susan]

Here's another! I saw Sara Moulton make this one Cooking Live a couple years ago. I have yet to make it, but my SIL has and raves about it.

~Susan~

CHEESE-SWIRLED TUNA CASSEROLE WITH GREEN PEAS AND MINT

Recipe Adapted from Jean Anderson’s The American Century Cookbook

Tuna Mixture:
1/4 cup minced yellow onion
3 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk
1 (6-ounce) can tuna, drained and flaked
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup sour-cream
1/3 cup minced, canned pimientos, drained

Cheese Swirl Biscuits:
2 cups sifted flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 vegetable shortening
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar or American cheese

Green Peas and Mint:
1 box frozen peas
2 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon dried mint

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly butter 11/2 to 2-quart casserole and set aside. Tuna Mixture: Stir-fry onion in butter in a large heavy skillet over moderate heat, until lightly browned, about 5 to 8 minutes. Blend in flour and salt, then broth. Add milk and heat, stirring constantly until thickened and smooth, 3 to 5 minutes. Mix in tuna, sour-cream, pimiento and lemon juice; set off heat, but keep warm. Cheese Swirl Biscuits: Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a large mixing bowl. Add shortening and cut in with pastry blender until texture of coarse meal. Add milk and fork briskly to make soft dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 12 by 8 by 1/4-inch rectangle. Scatter cheese evenly on top, then jelly-roll style, starting from short end, to form roll 8 inches long. With floured sharp knife, slice 1-inch thick. Spoon tuna mixture into casserole. Space biscuits evenly on top, arranging so spiral designs show. Bake, uncovered, until biscuits puff and brown slightly – about 20 minutes. In a saucepan with 1/2 cup boiling water add frozen peas, follow directions on the back of package. Drain. In a glass bowl, toss peas, with butter and dried mint.

[Susan]

Originally posted by nancy_east
Unfortunately, I can't think of a tuna recipe to contribute, but I have a tuna question and thought someone might know the answer who's reading this thread! I read somewhere recently (may have been CL, but could have been one of a dozen mags that I take!) that you should limit your tuna intake to 1 can/week because of the high mercury content in canned tuna. Has anyone heard this and know if there is any truth to it? TIA!

Here are a couple of sites with info on this subject:
http://webmd.lycos.com/content/article/3079.1925
http://webmd.lycos.com/content/article/1671.52439
http://kfoxtv.com/consumer/tuna.html

**Here's the FDA consumer advisory from March 2001: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/admehg.html

[JHaris]

QUOTE]Originally posted by Susan


Here are a couple of sites with info on this subject:
http://webmd.lycos.com/content/article/3079.1925
http://webmd.lycos.com/content/article/1671.52439
http://kfoxtv.com/consumer/tuna.html

**Here's the FDA consumer advisory from March 2001: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/admehg.html [/QUOTE]

Susan,

Thank you so much for the reference articles on tuna contamination. I knew I had read articles in the past on chemicals in the water and all the people in the Remediation group of the Health, Environment and Safety department of the chemical comp. where I worked would not eat any shell fish....

Obviously the water pollution problem is getting worse.

I even remember, as a little girl, if I was good when taken to the dentist, he would give me a capsule of liquid mercury to take home and play with!!!!!!!! OMG. .... I was telling my DH about this the other day.

Sometimes, in view of all the things published today. I wonder how we have all survived to adult hood.

.............but I am still going to use my favorite tuna fish and definitely try the posted receipes. Didn't realize how many different ones would appear.

Joan

[lengels]

I have a GREAT one. Linguine with Tuna and Caper sauce.

1 T. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced (I use more)
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 t. dried oregano
1/4 t. red pepper flakes
1 can tuna, drained
2 T. capers (I use more)
2 T. minced parsley (I use dried)
6 oz. linguine (cooked)

saute oil and garlic. Add tuna and tomatoes and spice and cook until heated through. Add capers and serve on linguine.

I also added some hot sauce for some zip.