What do you do when you one have one can of Tuna and a lot of people to  serve? Do you run to the store for another one?  No!  Instead, add something extra to stretch it so that your Tuna Salad for three can become Tuna Salad for 6.   This little secret ingredient can also help to stretch your grocery dollars. 

This discovery was made one day when the scenario described above actually occurred.   I had one can of tuna and I needed to have tuna for 5.    In desperation, I looked around to see what I had available in my refrigerator and pantry to add to the recipe, and that was when I saw a container of cooked brown rice leftover from the night before.      I decided to add some of the cooked rice to see if this tuna salad extender would go unnoticed by my diners.    On the first occasion that I did this, I eyeballed the amount of cooked brown rice that I added and attempted to make it equal to the amount of tuna.

Once the rice was added, I added the usual additions to my tuna salad–finely diced celery, onion, and hard boiled eggs.  Then, I deviated from my usual tuna recipe.  Instead of adding sweet relish, I added a little juice from a jar of kosher dills.  I chose the juice from these pickles because of the added garlic.  We really love garlic here at Patty Cake’s Pantry.  I also added a little bit of celery salt to add a little more depth of flavor.    Everything was mixed up with mayonnaise, and I put the salad into the fridge to chill before serving.

When Baker’s Man tasted the salad, he thought that it was chicken salad instead of tuna.  For people who love tuna, this might not be a good thing, but if you have a child or family member who isn’t a fan of tuna, this variation of tuna salad may turn out to be the perfect recipe.

This is great in sandwiches, with crackers, and on salads.  My favorite way to have this salad is stuffed inside of half an avocado that’s nestled on top of a green salad.

Give this recipe for stretched tuna salad a try and let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.

Thanks for visiting Patty Cake’s Pantry.

Nutritional information is for recipe made with 1/2 cup cooked brown rice, and 1 hard boiled egg.

Disclaimer:  Nutritional information is calculated using online tools such as those available at cronometer.com or verywellfit.com.  We make every attempt to ensure that this information is calculated correctly, but this information should be considered estimates.   Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe.  In addition, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition-fact sources, databases, and the algorithms used.   You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.  Under no circumstances will PattyCakesPantry.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information provided.