Weeknight cooking for the health-conscious often comes down to three pretty basic requirements: something with minimal prep, ingredients that keep, and enough protein to keep you full and fit.
Tinned or pouch tuna checks all three boxes quite easily, but a lot of people are still quick to relegate it to “sad desk lunch” territory. Below are a handful of ideas that take tuna beyond the classic mayo swamp, while still keeping things simple.
Mediterranean tuna & beans
Open a can of cannellini beans (another 7 g protein) and rinse them. Warm a splash of olive oil in a frying pan, toss in a minced garlic clove, then add the beans, a handful of chopped spinach, and a few halved cherry tomatoes.
Season with salt, pepper, and dried oregano. When the spinach wilts (add it late – it’ll be almost instant), fold in a drained tin of tuna and squeeze half a lemon over the lot. It’ll take about ten minutes all in, delivers roughly 35 g of protein, and only gets one pan dirty.
Five‑minute kimchi tuna wraps
Mix a pouch of John West tuna with a tablespoon of kimchi juice, a forkful of the kimchi itself (chopped small), and a dab of sesame oil. Spoon the mixture into crisp gem‑lettuce leaves or nori sheets, if those are the kinds of foods to live in your cupboard, or into your wrap of choice if you want a bit more oomph.
The acidity cuts the fishiness, and the lettuce bulks it up while keeping carbs low, if that’s the goal. If you really want to take it up a bit, sprinkle toasted sesame seeds for crunch. Packed full of protein, and about as quick as you can get.
Sweet potato with chilli‑lime tuna
Microwave a medium sweet potato until tender, roughly six minutes, turning once and remembering to poke some holes in first. While it’s going, stir together tuna, a teaspoon of Greek yoghurt, lime zest, a squeeze of lime juice, and a pinch of smoked paprika.
Split the potato in half, fluff the inside with a fork, and load it up. The yoghurt adds creaminess, while the sweet‑spicy balance adds a gorgeous flavour. Add a side of lightly steamed broccoli for some more green – the plate should already be north of 40 g of protein.
Speedy tuna & quinoa salad jar
Batch‑cook quinoa on the weekend, leaving it in the fridge when it’s done. Layer it into a mason jar (or any tall container) in this order, for some deliciously easy lunches: vinaigrette at the bottom, diced cucumber, shredded carrot, cooked quinoa, flaked tuna, and a scatter of pumpkin seeds.
Shake before eating so the dressing travels upward. Quinoa brings 8 g protein per cooked cup, pumpkin seeds another 7 g, pushing the whole thing toward 35 g – more than enough to avoid the early afternoon biscuit hunt.
With these simple ideas, everything stays easy: shelf‑stable protein, some quick‑cooking fibre and at least one flavour punch (acid, spice, sweetness). Mix them together, and the next time someone suggests a tuna lunch, you won’t have to picture a beige blob in a plastic tub.
