Simple Lemony Tuna Salad Packable Lunch

By Brittany Mullins

Published Mar 15, 2017, Updated May 22, 2024

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No time to pack lunch? Try this simple lemony tuna salad recipe you can make at your desk.

No time to pack lunch? Try this simple lemony tuna salad recipe you can make at your desk. Just add lemon juice, salt and pepper! Eat plain or serve with crackers and veggies.

One of my favorite things to have for lunch is canned tuna. It’s quick, easy, filling and we always seem to have a can in the pantry. The other day I was making a quick tuna salad with a little dijon mustard and some chopped onion for lunch when I started thinking about packable lunches. I no longer have to worry about packing lunches since I work from home, but Isaac still packs and I know many of you do as well. So I started thinking about super simple packable lunches. Ones involving kitchen staples that you can make at your desk… perfect for those busy days when you don’t have time to whip something up in the morning and/or you’re tied to your computer all day.

Canned tuna is perfect for this because you can literally grab the can and a few things to go with it and run out the door. Another option is just to leave a few cans in your desk drawer at work for busy days. With a can of tuna in your drawer, you an grab a side salad from just about anywhere, load on the tuna and boom — lunch is served.

Unless you keep a can opener at your desk, I highly recommend finding cans that have an easy-open pull tab. Genova tuna now offers this option with their Yellowfin and Albacore tuna and it’s super convenient.

I’m excited to be working with them this year to come up with a variety of tuna recipes. Their canned tuna is packed in olive oil, which to be honest, is something I used to avoid because I was worried about the added fat, but I’m definitely not scared of fat anymore… and you shouldn’t be either. Fat is good for you!!

Plus, Genova tuna is some of the best tuna I’ve ever tasted. It doesn’t smell or taste super fishy and when you open the can you see actual chunks of fish rather than canned mush. Added bonus — with olive oil packed tuna you don’t really need to add any additional fat (like mayo) to make a tuna salad. A little lemon juice, salt and pepper works great. I personally like adding mustard too, but I left it out of this recipe for simplicity’s sake. If you like mustard, definitely add a little in.

The packable lunch I’m sharing today isn’t so much a recipe but more an idea for a quick and easy lunch option involving minimal ingredients. Most offices have salt and pepper so really all you need to bring from home is the tuna, your lemon and dippers (like crackers and fresh bell peppers). I love using the mini bell peppers because 1) they’re mini and 2) they have a bit more flavor than large peppers.

Packable lunch idea featuring a can of tuna, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Serve with mini bell peppers.

I think it’s fun to use the tuna salad as a dip, but if you want to switch things up you can serve it over a salad, toss it on sliced bread, or eat it straight up. Whatever floats your boat!

Speaking of boats, one cool feature offered by Genova is digital traceability of their products. By entering the number on the bottom of your Yellowfin or Albacore tuna here can you can find out where the tuna was caught, where it was processed and canned, what fishing method was used and even what fishing vessel caught the tuna. Pretty cool, right?

Simple Lemony Tuna Salad with lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Ready to see the not-recipe for the lemony tuna salad packable lunch? Here ya go!

More Tuna Recipes to Try:

Be sure to check out all of the tuna recipes as well as the full collection of salad recipes on EBF!

If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.

A to-go container full of tuna with a fork in it, sliced peppers in a container in the background.

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5 from 3 votes