The Canned Food Rachael Ray Always Keeps On Hand

From fruit to soup, canned foods are a pantry staple that make it easy to get meals on the table in a hurry, so it's no surprise that the queen of quick cooking, Rachael Ray, keeps them handy in her kitchen. But she has one particular favorite that she loves so much that she even partnered with a brand: canned tuna.

Ray prefers tuna in olive oil, specifically the Genova Premium Tuna brand, which was at the top of the list of Food Republic's rankings, too. In an interview with Eating Well, Ray explained the nostalgic reason for her appreciation of the tinned fish — all thanks to her Sicilian grandfather. "He was my primary caretaker when I was a little girl. My mom worked in restaurants and didn't trust me with a bunch of strangers, so my grandpa was always with me in the kitchen," she said. "We always had Italian tuna in good olive oil, sardines[,] and lots of anchovies. And this was a staple of my diet from the time I learned how to chew, so it's always been a part of my pantry as a grown adult."

Nostalgia aside, there are plenty of practical reasons for someone to keep canned tuna on hand, ready to add to meals and snacks. It's an easy protein that won't break the bank, and because it's already cooked, you can toss it into both hot and cold dishes as-is.

One of Rachael Ray's favorite ways to use canned tuna is to make a classic: tuna salad. But her version is a mayo-free spin of the traditional version. "I never make a classic recipe," she told Eating Well. "Here, in America, it's all mayonnaise-based, and I usually only dress tuna with lemon juice and olive oil so you can taste the product." Once she makes the lightened-up salad, she serves it over greens with fresh herbs or uses it to make a tuna melt with fontina cheese.

Ray also enjoys adding tuna to other dishes like white bean salad or her lemon spaghetti with roasted baby artichokes. However, she does caution against overcooking the canned fish when preparing warm dishes. Instead, Ray advises to warm it over a medium level of heat to make sure it's still packed full of flavor in the finished dish.

If you're looking for more ways to incorporate this protein-packed pantry staple into your everyday meals, there's no shortage of options. For cold dishes, try folding it into pasta salad or make a ceviche-inspired appetizer by mixing the tuna with citrus, capers, and herbs and serve it on crackers or cucumber slices. Hot dishes are just as easy — form patties to make tuna burgers, whip up an easy and protein-filled one-pot pasta, or craft a creative starter by combining it with crescent dough.