If You Have Canned Tuna And Leftover Pasta, You Have A Protein-Packed Meal In 5 Minutes

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

When I'm craving a fast, easy dinner, I typically turn to leftovers. Nine times out of 10, I have bits and bobs from previous meals waiting in my fridge. Whether it's shredded chicken, pre-cooked vegetables, leftover rice and beans, or chilled pasta, I usually have the makings for a delicious meal. One of my favorite five-minute concoctions, however, involves canned tuna and leftover pasta. It's tuna pasta salad — and it only requires a few key ingredients.

To make a quick and zippy tuna pasta salad, grab leftover pasta (I prefer fusilli or elbow), chunk-light or albacore canned tuna in water, peas, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and Italian seasoning. Drain two cans of tuna, scoop it into a large mixing bowl, and break it into smaller pieces with a fork. Add the cold pasta and stir. Drench it all thoroughly in olive oil, red wine vinegar, and a hint of lemon juice if you have it. Then, season with Italian seasoning, pepper, and salt to taste. To make it taste more like casserole, add in 1 cup of frozen microwaved peas.

Of all the easy and delicious canned tuna recipes, this is the quickest to make. If you prefer it warm, microwave the pasta for two minutes, then add it to the tuna before incorporating the oil-vinegar-spice combo. Whether you like it hot or cold, the oil and vinegar pair well with tuna's mild flavor, and the peas offer a fresh crunch. Store it in the fridge, and it's the perfect leftover meal. Put it on a cointainer and that's a perfect to-go meal, too.

This tuna pasta salad is already packed with protein. Each can of tuna has 20 grams of protein, and one cup of peas has 7 grams. But if you want to take things up a notch, you can make a few simple adjustments. Start by using protein pasta instead of the regular version. One serving of Banza pasta, which is made from chickpeas, has about 11 grams of protein. Or simply add chickpeas to the meal, too — one half-cup offers 7 grams of protein. Stretch out your salad by adding hard-boiled eggs. This will offer some more protein, too.

Protein aside, I highly encourage other mix-ins to make this meal shine. I've made this salad with slices of black and green olives, pieces of sweet corn, and chunks of avocado for creaminess and healthy fats. But to make it taste more like tuna noodle casserole, add crispy fried onions on top and shreds of parmesan cheese — the kind commonly used in Alfredo sauce. This will give it the texture and flavor of a baked dish, without baking a single thing.