Healthy tuna patties that cook in 15 minutes--- a busy mom's dream! Low carb tuna patties are affordable and have good quality protein.
Tuna patties, tuna cakes or tuna croquettes can all be used to pretty much describe the same thing. The thing about canned tuna is that it's an affordable, quality protein. The thing about this recipe in particular is how easy it is to prep and cook.
You'll have dinner done in 30 minutes. See my tips below on what else to eat with tuna patties to make it an easy healthy meal.
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Ingredients
These easy, low calorie tuna patties only need 6 ingredients. The green bell pepper is optional and honestly, if you don't have it or feel pressed for time, just skip it altogether.
The other thing that makes this easy is that the tuna cakes have no breadcrumbs. Not that that's a huge deal, but hey--it is 1 less ingredient. For my busy mamas that can be a huge deal.
- tuna in water, canned
- mayo
- lemon juice
- hot sauce
- parsley, dried
- salt
- green bell pepper, *optional
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Healthy Tuna Patties
Step 1: Drain the tuna. This is important because you don't want extra liquid. It'll make it difficult to form the patties.
Step 2: Add tuna and bell pepper to a large bowl.
Step 3: Add all the other ingredients to a separate small bowl. Hint: It may be helpful to use a small strainer to squeeze the lemon. Or you can always squeeze the lemon in a separate small bowl, then remove the seeds.
Step 4: Add wet ingredients to tuna, mix well, then add a cracked egg. Mix well.
Now you can start to make the patties. Hint: Using a ¼ cup measuring cup makes it easier to have uniform (the same shape) patties.
Scoop the tuna and use the palm of your hands to flatten the patty.
Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Enjoy!
Storage
Good for 3-4 days in the fridge. Visit Leftovers and Food Safety for more information.
For best quality freeze for up to 3 months.
Quick method for freezing: Once they've cooled down, lay tuna patties in-between pieces of wax paper. Then add them to a labeled freezer bag with the name and date.
What to eat with low carb tuna patties
Both of these ideas should have dinner done in ~30-45 minutes.
Idea #1:
- grits
- side salad
- Looking for a homemade salad dressing? Try this Honey Lemon Vinaigrette!
To save time, purchase bagged salad instead of washing and cutting all the vegetables. To save money, buy fresh lettuce and cut it yourself. Look out for BOGO sales on bagged salad and then build your meal around it.
Idea #2:
- rice
- yellow rice, pigeon peas 'n rice, whatever you like
- Try this 25-minute Black-Eyed Peas and Rice recipe.
- steamed broccoli (or another favorite vegetable)
- I mentioned steam broccoli because it only takes 5-7 minutes to cook. The time depends on how tender or firm you like it.
Low carb tuna patties
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 ounces tuna, canned drained
- ¼ cup green bell pepper diced, *optional
- 2 tablespoon mayo
- ½ lemon squeezed
- ½ teaspoon hot sauce
- ½ teaspoon parsley dried
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper *optional
Instructions
- Add the drained tuna and bell pepper to a large bowl. Mix together. Preheat oven to 375°.
- In a separate small bowl, squeeze the juice of half a lemon in the bowl. Add the parsley, salt, pepper, mayo, hot sauce and mix together.
- Add liquid mixture to the tuna mixture. Mix well. Add the egg then mix well.
- Using a ¼ cup measuring cup to scoop out the patties. Shape and flatten the patties with your hand and then place on a baking sheet. Do this until you have 8 patties. Bake for 15 minutes.
- *Optional: After the patties bake for 15 minutes at 375°, you can turn it off then put the oven on Broil for a few minutes to get the top of the patties lightly browned.
Notes
- Prep Work: You can dice the green bell pepper ahead of time to make preparing this recipe even that much easier. It's typically good for 3-4 days.
Nutrition
Food safety
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!