This Mediterranean tuna orzo salad is a great quick and easy weeknight meal. Protein-packed tuna and orzo pasta mixed with lemon, capers, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes and lots of fresh herbs.
I redid my pantry this weekend and I could not be happier.
Is this what adult life is like? Because I keep opening the door to my pantry and saying to myself “OMG IT’S SO PRETTY!”
But, let’s be real.
The best part about redoing a pantry is the fact that you have to put it back together and now know everything you own.
Guess what I learned?
I own 21 cans of tuna and 4 vacuum-sealed packs of tuna. Whoops.
Yeah. I know. That’s why today’s recipe includes tuna.
This recipe is a bit of a play on my Mediterranean tuna salad flatbread but instead of throwing it on a flatbread I mixed it with orzo, left out the olives but added more capers, and threw in a little more feta cheese because feta cheese is the best.
Right?
Who doesn’t love feta?
Plus I’m always looking for dishes that are packed full of protein but don’t take forever to cook.
I hate being in the kitchen in the summer because our kitchen is so small it literally turns the whole kitchen into an oven.
In fact, we are thinking about redoing our kitchen, and part of the plan is to make a giant halfway into the living room to bring some airflow into the house and kitchen and bring natural light into the kitchen.
Such a game-changer.
I cannot wait to get these renovations started so maybe I won’t hate cooking so much in the summer.
Ok, that’s not true.
I’m always going to hate cooking in the summer but maybe I won’t hate it as much if my kitchen isn’t the size of a lentil.
Growing up we used to make tuna salad and stuff it into a big tomato and I feel like this pasta salad would be an awesome tomato addition.
I mean, I know that is a really weird suggestion but for some reason, tuna salad inside a tomato is a crazy good combination.
Another great thing about this Mediterranean tuna orzo salad is that it holds up well in the fridge.
That means you can make a big batch and it won’t be funky by day 2.
Also, I love using tuna in olive oil because it becomes part of the dressing for the pasta salad.
Don’t fear that fancy tuna in olive oil because it’s hella tasty.
More canned tuna recipes
- Tuna Pasta Salad
- Lemon Herb Tuna Salad Snack Board
- Mediterranean Tuna Salad Flatbread
- Pesto Tuna Baguette Sandwich
Mediterranean Tuna Orzo Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces orzo pasta
- 2 5 ounce cans albacore tuna in olive oil
- 1 3 ounce jar capers, drained
- 1 lemon zested
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 small shallot minced
- 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/3 cup finely chopped sundried tomatoes
- 1/3 cup finely chopped artichoke hearts
- 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
- Kosher salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the box directions until the pasta is al dente.
- Drain and let cool while you prepare the tuna salad.
- In a large mixing bowl add tuna with the oil, drained capers, lemon zest, lemon juice, shallot, crumbled feta cheese, sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, parsley, and dill. Stir to combine.
- Add the pasta to the tuna mixture and stir to combine.
- Taste and season with kosher salt and black pepper. If the pasta salad looks dry drizzle in a little more olive oil and stirs to combine.