I’ve always loved tuna. Tuna fish sandwiches, tuna melts, tuna salad. . but somewhere along the way tuna got a bad rap. Did you know canned tuna represents a convenient way to meet your recommended intake of fish and consuming tuna has a number of positive effects on your health? Tuna is great for protein and omega-3’s but one negative effect of eating canned tuna is an increase in your sodium, or salt, intake.
Well, that’s a changin’ folks.
Maybe you never stopped eating tuna (like me) or maybe you’re open to trying it out again. . either way, I hope you keep reading.
Starkist has a variety of low sodium tuna products, both in pouches and canned. The pouches are super easy to open and make for a great, quick lunch at work, or on the go. I tried the Albacore White Tuna Low Sodium pouch: select cuts of Albacore tuna hand packed in a fresh, easy to open pouch. No messy draining, great tasting and still has the protein and omega-3’s.
I loved the tuna so much, I mixed the tuna with some orzo and vegetables and loved it! I seriously ate 3, er, small servings. It was really good. And although my husband told me, right before his first bite. . the first words to come out of his mouth. . after I slaved over the stove for like 20 minutes (but didn’t tell him that!) was, “You know I don’t like Orzo right?”
Are you kidding me?
I wanted to say, “just shut up and eat.” But I didn’t have to. He ate everything. Insert many expletives here. I mean, look at this dish. . and I even did the big reveal in my new KitchenAid Cast Iron casserole dish . . I love this . .
Voilà!!
I hope you enjoy. . and go try some StarKist low sodium tuna!
Quick and Healthy Dinner: Orzo with Tuna
Ingredients
- 1 quart chicken stock or broth
- 8 oz. orzo
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1-2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ medium onion chopped
- 2 carrots peeled and diced
- ½ red bell pepper diced
- 2 celery stalks diced
- salt and pepper
- 3/4 cup green olives diced
- 3 pouches 2.6 oz. StarKist® Albacore Tuna, Low Sodium
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- In a large pot, sauce pan or cast iron dish, bring the chicken stock to a boil, add the orzo and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside. The orzo will absorb all the stock.
- Using a medium to large sized skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil and sauté the garlic, onion, carrots, bell pepper, and celery for about 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add in the olives and tuna and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Mix well. Lastly, mix in the cooked orzo and fresh parsley, toss together, let cook for a minute and serve.
Recipe adapted from Starkist.
Disclosure: StarKist sent me the Low Sodium Albacore White Tuna pouches to try. I was not compensated for this post. All opinions expressed here are 100% my own.
