Mediterranean Tuna Pizza.
Toasted mini naan bread topped with feta cheese, baby kale or arugula, a Mediterranean tomato parsley salad and flaky white tuna. These simple and flavor-packed flatbread pizzas are perfect for lunch at home or a quick dinner.
Tuna on pizza. Really?
Yep. And you’re gonna love it. This pizza came about because I had leftover Mediterranean salad from making this recipe for Mediterranean Salmon. This vibrant salad is made of fresh parsley, tomatoes, zesty red onion, briney capers and salty feta in a red wine and extra virgin olive oil vinaigrette. It pairs so nicely with any seafood. I had made a double batch of it for the salmon, so I used the rest the next day with canned tuna on top of naan bread for a quick lunch … a “tuna pizza!” … and loved it.
This pizza is a great way to use up all those cans of tuna that are waiting in your pantry. At last count, we had 20 cans of tuna alone (not including pouches and canned salmon), so it’s time to start going through the stockpile.
Canned tuna – think beyond the mayo.
Canned tuna is not just for tuna salad and tuna salad sandwiches. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I ate a classic “tuna salad” sandwich – you know, the mayo-laden kind. Mayo isn’t my thing – but, vinegar and olive oil, those are definitely my thing. And, tuna with vinegar and olive oil. Yes, I’m all about it.
Think out of the box when it comes to tuna.
Most of us think of canned tuna as a last-resort … aka we’ve got nothing left in the house, so let’s open up a can. But it doesn’t have to be an afterthought. There are lots of dishes that can incorporate tuna as part of your weekly meal plans.
- Tuna is great on:
- Toast – especially on smashed avocado
- Tuna melts – the old rule of fish + cheese doesn’t pair – is no longer valid. Cheddar + tuna = one of the greatest matches
- Salads (not talking traditional tuna salad here, I’m talking about):
- farro or quinoa salad with veggies and tuna
- niciose salad
- wedge salad with bacon, lettuce, blue cheese and tuna
- buffalo tuna salad with iceberg lettuce, celery and blue cheese
- Pizza!
Why is canned tuna so great?
- It’s convenient. Open a can and you have a protein-rich food with no cooking required at your finger-tips.
- It’s shelf stable. Canned tuna is one of those foods that we always have in the pantry for quick lunches and on a rare occasion dinners (usually we turn to canned salmon for dinner and make salmon patties). No need to worry about expiration dates (unless you’ve had those cans for YEARS, then it’s always a good idea to check those dates).
- It’s inexpensive. Have you ever noticed, tuna is always on deal, so stock up when your favorite brand is one sale.
- It’s good-for-you. Packed with protein, heart-healthy fats (omega-3s!) and many vitamins and minerals. Canned tuna is a great way to get the recommended twice a week seafood servings.
- It’s versatile. You can add canned tuna to pretty much any salad and pair it with any side dishes. Plus, pair it with Asian flavors, Mediterranean flavors, you name it … it pairs well with pretty much any cuisine, herbs and spices.
- It’s packed with flavor and tastes great. We buy both tuna in water and tuna in olive oil. I prefer the tuna in oil (extra virgin, if you can find it) because it has more flavor and richness. This recipe uses the tuna in extra virgin olive oil.
What if I’m pregnant? Can I eat canned tuna?
Yep! The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recommend eating 2-3 servings of a variety of seafood every week for all Americans. Seafood is especially important for the health of mom and baby – the omega-3 DHA is crucial to your growing baby’s brain and eye development. Two to three servings is about 8-12 ounces each week. Currently, pregnant women in the U.S. eat less than 2 ounces of seafood weekly, so tuna is a great convenient option to help your seafood goals. Canned light tuna is lower in mercury than canned white albacore tuna, so you may want to choose that option more frequently. For pregnant women, consumption of white (albacore) tuna shouldn’t exceed 6 ounces per week.
You used naan bread. What is that?
Naan is a soft and fluffy Indian flatbread that’s cooked in a tandoor oven. I find naan much more rich, delicious and satisfying than pita bread, because it’s made with a dough that’s enriched with eggs and yogurt (that means it is higher in fat and calories as well). For these tuna pizzas, I used these round naan breads from Stonefire for these pizzas. They are the perfect size – smaller than traditional naan bread and great for mini pizzas and sandwiches. The kids love them.
Here’s how to make these easy tuna pizzas:
Mediterranean Tuna Pizza
Ingredients
- 8 mini naan bread rounds (sandwich size)
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2 4.5 ounce cans solid white albacore tuna in extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups baby kale or arugula
For the Mediterranean Salad
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup parsley leaves only (keep whole or chop)
- 1/2 medium red onion, diced
- 1/4 cup capers drained
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup feta cheese crumbles
Instructions
For the Mediterranean Salad
- Combine all salad ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Mix well.
To assemble the pizzas
- Add feta evenly atop each naan round. Place rounds into toaster oven and lightly toast. (You may want to place a piece of tinfoil under the rounds so the cheese doesn't fall onto the bottom of the toaster oven.)
- Top rounds with arugula or baby kale. Spoon salad (with juices) atop toasted naan rounds. Top with chunks of tuna and freshly ground black pepper.
- Serve.
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