15 Minute Mediterranean Tuna Rice Bowls

This post is sponsored by Tonnino Wild Caught Yellowfin Tuna, I used their delicious 100% wild caught yellowfin tuna fillets in olive oil in today’s easy rice bowls.

Easy Tuna Dinner Bowls

Tuna is a convenient pantry staple and protein option that you can turn into a quick meal any night of the week. One of my new favorites is today’s Mediterranean-style rice and tuna bowls. These rice bowls make an unfussy dinner with delicious Tonnino wild caught tuna fillets, already cooked brown rice, and a simple chickpea, cucumber and tomato salad (which is just a variation of my 3-ingredient Mediterranean salad). To dress the salad and the rice bowls, I reach for my go-to Greek ladolemono dressing, made with lots of fresh lemon juice, good extra virgin olive oil, garlic and oregano. This homemade dressing can be prepared ahead, it will keep well in the fridge for up to 2 weeks (just store it in a tight-lid mason jar)!

What kind of tuna to use?

Tuna is nutrition rich, containing omega-3 fatty acids, B-6 and B-12 vitamins, as well as vitamin A, iron, zinc, magnesium and more! But the question people ask me often is what kind of tuna I use?For me, it’s important to use quality, responsibility caught wild tuna. And for the past several months, I’ve been using Tonnino Wild Caught Yellow Fin Tuna, which my family loves! If you haven’t checked them out before, Tonnino is the #1 gourmet tuna brand here in the U.S. First, Tonnino is delicious 100% wild caught, low mercury tuna, and a heart healthy protein. And you get whole tuna filets that have been carefully hand-packed in jars. I love that Tonnino uses simple ingredients without any additives or fillers. And they only source tuna from responsible fisheries, utilizing environmentally friendly fishing methods with complete traceability. In today’s rice bowls recipe, I used Tonnino Yellowfin Tuna packed in olive oil, but there are other options within the Tonnino family to check out!

Ingredients: What you need to make these easy tuna bowls

Tonnino Yellowfin Tuna– I used 2 jars of their yellowfin tuna packed in olive oil. Brown rice– You’ll need 2 to 3 cups cooked brown rice. Start with about 1 to 1 ½ cups of rice and follow the package instructions. Other grains will work as well (see options below). For the salad– 1 can chickpeas (drained and rinsed), cherry tomatoes, English cucumber, shallots (or green onions), and fresh parsley. For the ladolemono dressing– lemon juice, olive oil, 1 to 2 cloves of garlic, and a good dash of dried oregano. Feta cheese, optional for garnish

How to make tuna bowls

Cook the rice. If your rice is not already prepared, you can start with just over 1 cup dry brown rice, rinse it well and follow the package instructions to cook until the rice is tender and no longer hard or too chewy. You can cook the rice one night ahead of time and refrigerate until you need it. Make the ladolemono dressing. Start by whisking together ¼ cup fresh lemon juice with minced garlic, dried oregano, and a pinch of kosher salt and black together. While whisking vigorously, drizzle in some good extra virgin olive oil and keep whisking (you’ll need about ¾ cup of olive oil for this homemade dressing). Make the salad. Mix together the chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumbers, shallots, and parsley. Season lightly with kosher salt and black pepper. Add about ¼ cup of the ladolemono dressing and toss to coat the salad well with the dressing. Assemble the tuna rice bowls. Divide the rice and salad among 4 bowls, then add the Tonnino Yellowfin Tuna fillets to each bowl. Dress the tuna and rice with a bit of the ladolemon dressing to your liking. Enjoy!

Meal-Prep Tips

If you want to prepare these tuna bowls for lunch the next day, you can hold the dressing and keep the tuna in its jars (this way, the tuna will not oxidize or change color). Arrange the brown rice and salad in meal-prep containers and store them in the fridge. Add the tuna and dressing when you’re ready for lunch!

Tuna Rice Bowl Variations

The great thing about these rice dinner bowls is that you can totally change them up and make them your own. Here are some ideas:

Try another grain. This recipe calls for cooked brown rice, which is generally considered healthier than white (though we love white rice too, read more into white versus brown rice in our guide.) If you like, you can try another grain such as farro or barley, both have a hearty texture and a slightly nutty, delicious flavor. You can prepare the grains ahead of time and store them in the fridge. Change the salad. You can go fully Greek with these rice bowls and make my easy Traditional Greek salad in place of the chickpea salad in today’s recipe. You can also try my bean salad, fattoush, or any other Mediterranean salad that catches your eye, making a little bit more of the salad dressing to dress your tuna fillets and grains as well. Use another Tonniono Tuna option. If you can handle a little heat, try their yellowfin tuna fillets with jalapeno in olive oil!