Stretch Tuna Salad Even Further With This Cheap, Classic Canned Vegetable

Tuna salad is the ultimate inexpensive meal. Canned tuna is one of the cheapest and best items you can pick up at the grocery store, and there are so many ways to use a can of tuna to make it tastier and stretch it even more. If you want to ensure that your tuna salad is hitting your fiber and vitamin goals, turn to a cheap canned vegetable staple that you may already have in your pantry: canned peas.

Canned peas, which our taster tried and ranked from worst to best, have an impressively long shelf life and are cheap; you may even be able to find a can of them for less than a dollar. They'll add an extra dose of fiber and flavor to your tuna salad and can jibe well with other seasonings, vegetables, and flavorings you add to your salad. We recommend sprinkling them on top of your salad before serving or giving them a light mix, as you don't want to break the skins and make your tuna salad mushier than it needs to be. You should also aim for low-sodium peas if possible and give them a rinse before adding them to your salad, as the sodium from the can will be more than enough to carry the flavor of the dish.

When most people think of tuna salad, they think of the cold mix of tuna, mayonnaise, and seasonings often added to sandwiches or on top of salads. However, this is far from the only preparation of tuna salad you can make. For example, you can add peas and canned tuna to a pasta salad for both a protein and a fiber boost. This inexpensive salad can be dressed with Greek yogurt or mayonnaise and served cold for a hearty and simple meal. If you prefer, you can also ditch the creamy dressing entirely in favor of a simple vinaigrette. 

Peas love springtime flavors, so we recommend adding complementary ingredients to your tuna salad to bring out their brightness and flavor. Fresh dill is an excellent herb to add to tuna salad, and it plays well with peas too. Peas also shine when paired with alliums like shallots or onions; try adding these to your salad to give it a pop of flavor and a fresh texture that'll juxtapose any lingering tinny flavor from the peas or the tuna.