Low-Calorie Tuna Recipes

Find healthy, delicious low-calorie tuna recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Staff Picks

Mason Jar Power Salad with Chickpeas & Tuna

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This power salad will keep you fueled for hours, thanks to 26 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber. Tossing the dressing and kale, and then letting it stand in the jar, softens it enough so you don't need to massage or cook it to make it tender.
By Katie Webster

Mediterranean Tuna-Spinach Salad

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This tuna salad recipe gets an upgrade with olives, feta and a tahini dressing. Served over baby spinach, this is the perfect easy and light lunch or dinner salad.
By Sara Haas, R.D.N., L.D.N.

Tuna & White Bean Salad

6
The time-honored Italian pairing of canned tuna and cannellini beans makes a super-simple, satisfying lunch. Serve over salad greens, on grilled whole-wheat country bread or tucked in a whole-wheat pita pocket.
By Ruth Cousineau

Parchment Packet Baked Tuna Steaks & Vegetables with Creamy Dijon-Turmeric Sauce

4
How to bake fish perfectly? Wrapping the fish and vegetables in parchment packets creates steam that keeps the tuna moist while it cooks. Plus, it's a fun presentation.
By Breana Killeen

One-Pot Pasta with Tuna

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Use the one-pot pasta cooking method to make this tuna pasta recipe that calls for just 5 ingredients and is ready in just over half an hour. For extra crunch and a tuna noodle casserole feel, sprinkle this speedy pasta dish with toasted whole-wheat panko breadcrumbs.
By Joy Howard

Farfalle with Tuna, Lemon, and Fennel

This warm, flaked tuna and lemon pasta recipe is ready in 30 minutes.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Tuna Salad Sandwich with Sweet Relish

6
This sweet twist on a classic tuna-salad sandwich is a healthy high-protein lunch that even your kids will love.
By Carolyn Casner

Tuna Melts with Roasted Bell Peppers

Making your own roasted red peppers is so simple, plus it cuts down on the sodium compared to jarred peppers—giving you more room to add other flavorful ingredients, like mustard, without making the dish too salty.
By Joy Howard

Italian Penne with Tuna

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Need a quick pasta dish that's flavorful and colorful? This penne pasta dinner-for-two combines leeks, baby spinach, tuna and sun-dried tomatoes--and it's ready in just 20 minutes!
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Tuna Pomodoro

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Inspired by the Italian dish spaghetti al tonno e pomodoro, this quick and healthy pasta became a staff favorite at EatingWell. If you keep canned tuna and whole-wheat pasta on hand, you'll do what we did: return to this quick meal again and again.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Strawberry & Tuna Spinach Salad

Enjoy sweet, juicy strawberries paired with nutrient-dense mushrooms and tangy tuna salad. This is the ultimate salad to keep you feeling full. It boasts 20 grams of protein and 10.5 grams of fiber -- both nutrients known to satiate hunger.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Spinach & Tuna Noodle Casserole

5
Homemade mushroom sauce kicks the can of soup out of the picture in this veggie-centric, healthy riff on a classic tuna-noodle casserole recipe. Serve with steamed green beans.
By Breana Killeen
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Inspiration and Ideas

Tuna Melt
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In this updated tuna melt recipe, we go light on the mayo and top it with fresh tomato slices and shredded sharp Cheddar. This allows us to use considerably less cheese while ensuring that there's great cheese flavor in each gooey bite of this healthy tuna melt recipe.
Vegetable & Tuna Pasta Salad
5
This delicious pasta salad recipe is made with zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes, arugula and chunk light tuna, which is lower in mercury than white albacore tuna. For the best flavor, combine the pasta salad with the dressing about 1 hour before serving. If you're looking for an environmentally sustainable canned tuna option, check the label--tuna that was caught by troll or pole-and-line is considered the best choice, according to Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch Program. Or look for the blue Certified Sustainable Seafood label from the Marine Stewardship Council.
Spicy Tuna Wrap
7
Skillet Tuna Noodle Casserole
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Known as Tuna-Pea Wiggle to some, this family-friendly tuna noodle casserole tends to be made with canned soup and whole milk, which means high fat and sodium. We remedy this by making our own creamy mushroom sauce with nonfat milk thickened with a bit of flour. Look for whole-wheat egg noodles--they have more fiber than regular egg noodles (but this dish will work well and taste great with either).

All Low-Calorie Tuna Recipes

Tuna-Zucchini Pasta

1
The sauce for this pasta recipe comes together quickly in one skillet while your spaghetti noodles cook on the next burner. Zucchini, fragrant basil, fresh tomato, and canned tuna combine to make a sensational topping for the whole-grain spaghetti in this 30-minute meal.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Tomato Bun Tuna Melt

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Make a bun out of a tomato in this healthy low-carb tuna melt recipe that swaps bread for veggies. You save 23 grams of carbohydrate and get 1 veggie serving while you're at it!
By Katie Webster

Tuscan-Style Tuna Salad

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This streamlined version of a northern Italian idea is perfect for a summer evening: no-fuss, no-cook and big taste. You can even make it ahead and store it, covered, in the refrigerator for several days. If you do, use it as a wrap filling for the next day's lunch.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Tuna Pasta with Olives & Artichokes

4
Here we toss grilled tuna with pasta, artichoke hearts, green olives and tomatoes. Grilling the tuna gives this ultra-fresh pasta dish a subtle smokiness. But if you're pressed for time, try canned tuna in place of the grilled fish.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Sesame Tuna Salad

4
Toasted sesame oil transforms a humble staple like canned tuna into an elegant supper. We love the crunch of napa cabbage in this salad, but romaine lettuce would also work if you happen to have that on hand.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Plank-Grilled Tuna Steaks

This Asian-inspired grilled tuna recipe is bursting with zesty ginger-lime flavor. Place any leftover ginger, unpeeled, in a freezer bag. It freezes well, and you can peel and grate it as needed from its frozen state.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Quick Tuna Burgers

5
Turn a couple cans of tuna into a zesty tuna burger with this quick recipe. If you can't find good whole-wheat hamburger buns, whole-wheat English muffins are a great substitute. The burger mixture might seem a little soft going into the pan, but once the first side is cooked, you'll be able to flip them easily. Serve with steamed broccoli or sweet potato fries.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Pistachio-Crusted Tuna Steaks

2
Pistachio crust teams up with a savory mustard-dill sauce for an exceptional tuna dish. Choose “sushi grade” tuna steaks if you prefer a milder flavor. Make it a meal: Serve with brown rice and steamed broccolini.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Tuna-&-Tomato Mac & Cheese

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Tuna mac & cheese takes a trip to the Southwest with spicy tomato and festive blue tortilla chips on top. Canned tomatoes with green chiles and ancho chile powder add a peppery kick, but if you like, you can keep it mellow by using a 14-ounce can of drained petite diced tomatoes and mild chili powder.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Grilled Tuna Sandwich with Lemon-Chili Mayo

Sturdy “country-style” bread works best for this healthy tuna sandwich recipe with watercress and chili-mayo. Eat the tuna sandwich warm, straight off the grill, or wrap it up and pack it in a cooler for a picnic dinner. Serve with grilled bell peppers drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and vinegar and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Seared Sesame-Tuna Bowls

This tuna bowl is quite an easy recipe you'll want to make again and again. Black sesame seeds make this dish look dramatic because they provide contrast against the fish, but if you can't find toasted black sesame seeds, you can use toasted white sesame seeds. The flavor will be the same.
By Lauren Grant

Pressed Tuna Sandwich (Pan Bagnat)

1
This Provençal sandwich literally means "bathed bread" and gets its name from the juicy dressed vegetables piled liberally into a crusty loaf. This recipe is perfect for toting along to soccer games and concerts in the park. We suggest bringing plenty of napkins.
By Julia Clancy

Tuna-Stuffed Peppers

1
These tuna-stuffed peppers are ubiquitous in delis all over Susa, Italy.
By Marialisa Calta

Smoked Ahi Tuna Tacos

Overlooking the surf in Cayucos, Ruddell's Smokehouse has been a landmark on California's Central Coast for two decades. When it's time to order, guests choose smoked meat, seafood or black bean patties in taco or sandwich form. We adapted their recipe using an easy technique for smoking on the grill.
By Betsy Andrews

Seared Tuna Tataki Quinoa Bowl

7
In this healthy tuna and quinoa recipe, tuna steaks are flash-cooked, sliced, then tossed in a quick, gingery marinade. The tuna, vegetables and seaweed get dressed with some of the flavor-packed tataki marinade and served over protein-rich quinoa.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Mediterranean Tuna Panini

4
For a great sandwich filling, spike canned tuna with salty olives and capers, bright lemon juice and tangy feta.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Asian Tuna Wraps

To store fresh ginger, wrap the unpeeled piece in freezer wrap and place it in the freezer - it will keep indefinitely.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Tuna Salad-Stuffed Tomatoes with Arugula

The tuna in this great-looking stuffed tomato recipe isn't your typical mayo-based affair. The sherry vinaigrette does double duty: it adds fresh flavor to the tuna filling and also dresses the baby arugula and white bean salad.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Honey, Asian Tuna & Pineapple Pasta

Because this Asian-inspired tuna and pasta dinner-for-four is ready in under 30 minutes, it's the perfect choice for any weeknight.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Tomato, Tuna & Tarragon Salad

Tomatoes and tuna were meant for each other, and fresh tarragon seals the deal. Soaking the onion in cold water tames the heat and sweetens its taste.
By Marie Simmons

Grilled Tuna with Olive Relish

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A simple relish of parsley and olives jazzes up grilled tuna. Make it a meal: Serve with grilled vegetables and steamed new potatoes.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Tuna, Artichoke & Basil Stuffed Potatoes

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These baked potatoes topped with canned tuna, artichoke hearts, provolone cheese and basil may seem unconventional, but the flavor combination is awesome. Serve with a mixed green salad.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Spaghetti with Tuna & Tomato Sauce (Spaghetti al tonno e pomodoro)

1
Italian tuna packed in olive oil is a must for this pasta dish: the flavorful oil is drained from the tuna and used for cooking the sauce.
By G. Franco Romagnoli

Garlic-Herb Chicken Cutlets & Garlic-Herb Tuna

Here we marinate the chicken and tuna in reverse: they rest in a white-wine pan sauce after cooking to more deeply infuse the meat with juicy, tangy flavor.
By Adam Dolge
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