14 Simple Additions That Will Elevate Canned Meats

Perhaps the biggest key to good cooking is a solid dose of imagination. Canned meats may seem dull on their own, but with just a dash of creativity, you can elevate any canned meat into a savory dish that will taste like it's just been served at a specialty restaurant. There are a few general tips for keeping canned meat at its best. For instance, any juice found in the can along with the meat is best drained before including it in a recipe. It's also recommended that you rinse the canned meat to remove any extra sodium or processed flavors.

The way that you cut or otherwise prepare the meat can also make a big difference. Chicken can be mashed into a salad-style paste that blends with other ingredients, or you can keep it in chunks so that each bite stands out. But the true key to elevating canned meat is really just to mix and match it with other delicious ingredients. There's nothing wrong with doing a little experimentation on your own, but in case you'd rather get straight to the good part, here is a list of ways to upgrade various breakfasts, lunches, and dinners that each revolve around canned meat.

Tuna is not for everyone, but some anti tuna folks have probably not given this easy tuna salad sandwich a fair shake. With just a few additions, you can quickly throw together a tasty tuna treat that's perfect for lunch on the go. First, you want to throw in some veggies. It might seem kind of odd to include vegetables, but these actually blend quite seamlessly with the tuna. In fact, you may have tried a tuna salad sandwich before without realizing that it was chock-full of certain veggies.

In this case, go ahead and throw in some chopped celery and chopped onion. Make sure to slice these up into very small, evenly cut pieces so that you don't end up crunching on big old chunks of vegetables while you're trying to enjoy the sandwich. The celery and onion lend the whole sandwich a satisfying texture while subtly diversifying the flavor. And, finally, the coup de grâce is just 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, which will provide a tart undertone and really give that tuna some zing. Be careful with this last step, though — lemon juice is powerful, and too much can overwhelm the sandwich.

Everyone loves pasta, especially when it's this easy. You won't believe what can be done in just 30 minutes with a can of chicken, ranch powder, and plenty of cheese — specifically pepper jack cheese, the zestiest of cheeses. For those who are willing to brave this delicious, heavy supper, it's a great choice for feeding the whole family. Any pasta will suffice here, so use whatever noodle you prefer. Canned chicken works just as well as the more expensive chicken breast you might find at the grocery store, and it's way less of a hassle. And if you'd like to be economical, leftover rotisserie chicken works really well, too — it's a convenient way of eating chicken two nights in a row without boring your palate.

Whatever chicken you use, the secret to elevating it in this dish is to use pepper jack to give the whole thing just the right amount of spice. And the ranch powder packs a tremendous punch, contributing a savory buttermilk flavor to the whole dinner. There are plenty of other spices and herbs you can add to this dish. Red pepper and garlic pair really well with this pasta, and you can always throw in some garlic bread on the side.

Anchovies are not just for ninja turtles anymore. Most people only know about anchovies as pizza toppings, but it turns out they are fundamental to a weirdly tasty egg salad. Some people find egg salad sort of bland on its own, but this is not one of those pedestrian salads. The anchovies will have to be in paste form, so if you don't have a tube of anchovy paste handy, you can simply mash up a can of them.

As for the egg portion, it's best to grab some hard-boiled eggs and extract the yolks. These you'll mix with the anchovy paste, and then you can throw in whatever other ingredients you like in an egg salad. Things like finely chopped onions and olives, salt, and pepper are solid choices. Some people like to add a bit of granulated garlic. Finally, you want to chop the remaining egg whites to add some of that uniquely buoyant egg-salad texture. You can also add some parsley to the egg whites if you like, as the two pair surprisingly well. Combine it all and you've got yourself a remarkable take on the classic egg salad.

Alright, so crab meat and milk don't exactly sound like they go together. But hear us out on this one: This is a weird kitchen hack that will have your crab meat tasting richer and more robust than ever. The idea of a milk bath actually dates back quite a ways through history, and some people allegedly thought milk had a rejuvenating effect on the body. Regardless of its effect on human skin, however, it definitely impacts crab meat in a big way. That applies to canned crab meat just as much as anything you might carve away from a real crab obtained in the grocery store seafood section.

One reason milk is used to "freshen up" crab meat is because all seafood contains a compound known as trimethylamine oxide. Once the crab dies, that compound transforms into a different chemical, and this latter compound can release an unfortunate fishy odor. It does not render the meat unusable, however — despite what your nose may tell you. And here's where the milk bath comes in: Crab meat soaked in milk loses that fishy smell because milk proteins bind to the stinky compound, making your crab meat moist, flavorful, and smelling like something you'd actually like to eat.

A lot of people associate spam with Monty Python, which has given it a sort of negative reputation as a joke food. But if you give spam a chance, you'll find it's honestly an easy ingredient to upgrade for a simple, tasty breakfast. By the way, this meal takes only about five minutes to put together, making it ideal for anyone who needs a robust breakfast before rushing to work. And if your diet requires protein and carbs, this is a pretty effective option.

When making spam and eggs, you can divide your spam more or less how you see fit, but cubed spam works particularly well. The eggs go into the pan first, and then after three or four minutes of occasional stirring, you just sprinkle the spam evenly across the egg scramble. Salt and pepper are optional, but they work really well with this meal. You can also add some cheese if you like, and then voilà: You've got yourself a simple, yet delicious breakfast bowl. You may find it easy to forget that one of the critical ingredients was canned spam.

After a long day of work, canned chili is an easy, lightning fast option for hungry folks. But with just the tiniest bit of extra effort, you can elevate that canned chili into something that tastes more like it came from a restaurant. One cool thing about chili is how diverse all of its recipes are. Everyone has certain ideas about which ingredients make for the best chili, but you might be surprised to learn that one incredibly tasty little addition to chili is none other than cocoa powder.

It seems like the savory spice of chili would be at odds with the sweet chocolate flavor of cocoa powder, but surprisingly, this is not the case. Chili peppers and chocolate hail from Central America, and they have already been combined to great effect in the form of mole sauce. If a mild hint of chocolate sweetness sounds right at home in your ideal chili, be sure to use unsweetened cocoa powder and don't go too heavy with it, either — just a touch will add all the warm sweetness the chili needs. If you're not sure how much to include, a tablespoon is usually the right call here.

Corned beef is often associated with hash, maybe because no one knows what else to really do with it. Well, there's nothing wrong with keeping things traditional, and since corned beef hash is known as a classic breakfast item, why not upgrade it with another old breakfast standby? We're talking about eggs, and the two pair together seamlessly. Let's start with basic corned beef hash: It's basically beef, potatoes, onions, and maybe a few other vegetables like green or red peppers.

It's pretty darn tasty, but it's also just begging for that breakfast addition, the egg. Strangely enough, you don't have to scramble the eggs either. Once the meat, onions, and potatoes are cooked up on the stove, you can crack those eggs and allow the yolks to rest, evenly spaced, around the hash. Then you transition from cooking to baking and allow the covered pan to sit in the oven until it's ready to serve. One tricky thing about this meal is that eggy meals tend not to fare well in the fridge, so try to avoid making way more food than will be eaten in a single sitting.

Wondering what to do with a can of corned beef? There are more options than just classic corned beef hash. It's actually a great protein choice for a noodle casserole, but the secret to maximizing your corned beef in a casserole is none other than the humble breadcrumb. This type of casserole is also known as the "Johnny Marzetti," named after the brother-in-law of Italian immigrant Teresa Marzetti. She invented this dish in the early 20th century after moving to Ohio and opening an Italian restaurant.

But it wasn't long before this dish caught on, and since then it's become a Midwestern classic. Even the U.S. army has used this dish to keep soldiers well fed. It's not particularly difficult to make either. Following the usual beef noodle casserole process, you'll be mixing things like milk, cream of chicken soup, onions, and steamed veggies into the dish. Here's the twist: You can totally change the texture and consistency of the entire dish with a liberal sprinkling of breadcrumbs throughout. Make sure to add the crumbs last so that they don't end up soggy. This classic just made a crunchy comeback.

With celery, mayonnaise, and pickle, you can turn canned ham into the delightful side dish known as ham salad. But let's say ham salad is the only dish you've got that's ready to eat, and it doesn't feel like a proper meal. Well, if you have some crackers on hand, your ham salad can become a bite-sized hor d'oeuvre. Ham salad is pretty straightforward to make, and it's even got a little history behind it. Medieval foodies used to cook ham in a "gelatinous broth," and the result was a sort of precursor to the modern ham salad. Centuries went by, and they started adding veggies and mayonnaise.

Today, ham salad is minced, cubed, or ground ham combined with mayo and diced pickles. A lot of people like to add things like celery and onions, as well. And while it makes for a killer sandwich, there's something special about spreading ham salad on some nice crackers like Triscuits or other nice whole wheat crackers that have some texture to them. The soft ham salad with an intense cracker crunch is a very satisfying combo.

The sloppy Joe is kind of like a high-maintenance barbecue hamburger. You'll probably need a fork to eat it, but the flavor is worth the extra effort. This ground-beef delight has become a staple of summertime lunch.

Of course, there are a couple of little upgrades you can use to take those joes to the next level. Onion, pepper, garlic, and ketchup (yes, ketchup) can really bring new flavors to the fore when mixed in with the meat. But the most remarkable changes to the sloppy joe happen when you add pickles and molasses. You can dice the pickles or just serve them sliced on the side. Pickles bring the texture and the tang, but a spoonful of molasses mixed into the beef will bring a unique sweetness to the fringes of your flavor experience. And don't forget to toast the bun, lest your sloppy joe soak into the bread and become a bit too sloppy.

Just when you thought we were done talking about spam, it's right back to it. This time, it's spam and fried rice, which is already an unusual twist on the classic fried rice dish. But there's a particular flavor that pairs shockingly well with this entry, and that's everyone's favorite spicy red sauce, Sriracha. Fried rice was initially developed as a way of using any leftover rice in order to avoid wastefulness. Over the centuries, it has become a treasured classic all its own, but rarely has spam entered the picture.

Well, there's no reason spam can't serve as the protein in your next fried rice meal, and among all the different spices and sauces you can use to enhance it, Sriracha is a fun choice that puts its own wild spin on the whole thing. For those who don't know, Sriracha is a type of hot sauce made from chili pepper paste, distilled vinegar, and pickled garlic, sugar, and salt. It's used in a wide range of meals, but you always have to be careful because the flavor can overpower whatever you put it in.

Pulled pork sandwiches have actually become quite popular over the last 10 years or so, but they're a good deal older than that. Some speculate that these sandwiches were invented by Spanish settlers who cooked the pork over "boucan" fires in the Caribbean. It's hard to argue with the results: soft, tender pork that just about falls off the bone, leaving the cook with strips of mouthwatering meat just begging to beef up a sandwich. This sandwich is already dangerously close to being a BBQ food. But now it's time to take that final step into the world of smoky summer meats with a dash (or more) of homemade BBQ sauce.

This is a fun DIY upgrade to canned pork, and it's surprisingly easy to make. Most recipes employ some combination of ketchup, vinegar, water, and even a little hot sauce. But the characteristic sweetness of BBQ sauce, one of its most important flavor notes, comes from sugar. Brown sugar pairs especially well with BBQ sauce, and while you can obviously purchase your favorite BBQ sauce brand instead of making it, a home recipe gives you more control over the ingredients so that you can experiment with the final outcome as much as you'd like.

Quesadillas are one of the simplest dishes that can be prepared in the kitchen at home. But using a few specific spices and herbs, you can turn canned chicken into a series of zesty restaurant-quality quesadillas in short order. One of the nice things about preparing a chicken quesadilla is that you can put the ingredients together in just about any order. Before your quesadilla goes in the pan, you just load it up with chicken, cheese, and vegetables.

But let's not forget the upgrade: those killer spices that take any chicken quesadilla from 10 to 11. Salt and pepper are all well and good, but your quesadilla can't fail to please the palate if you sprinkle in some onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, cumin, paprika, and chili powder. That might sound like a ton of things to throw in, but if you just trust the process, your canned-chicken quesadilla can become a masterpiece.

With a little creativity, canned salmon can be transformed into delicious salmon patties perfect for a low-key dinner. You can enjoy these with burger buns or you can simply eat them as they are.

But why stop at salmon when you can upgrade your faithful fish with Worcestershire sauce and crunchy crackers? The sauce imparts a pleasing vinegar note, while the crackers lend just the lightest crunch to the final patty. Add a little side bowl of tartar sauce and a few lemon wedges, and you have got yourself a savory seafood platter. That is not too shabby for something that began with canned salmon.