This sardines and rice bowl with an egg on top features canned sardines in tomato sauce. It’s quick, nutritious and budget-friendly!

Canned Sardines In Tomato Sauce

This is what I call my poor man dinner. A “what can I make with what I have?” recipe.

This dish can be thrown together quickly and requires very little cooking.

But budget food doesn’t have to be bland!

Some of my other staple “whip it up quick” dinners include Garlic Fried Rice and Meatballs with Gravy.

These are recipes which rely on staple ingredients in the freezer or pantry.

Canned sardines are something I always have for a last minute meal and great for stocking in case of emergencies.

They’re actually really tasty and so healthy in Vitamins B and Omega-3’s.

Sardines taste like a more intense version of canned salmon.

They’re saltier and have a slightly smoky flavor.

They are not as strong as anchovies.

This recipe is a step up from the classic sardines and crackers with hot sauce.

If you like canned sardines but often wonder how to eat sardines, this recipe is for you!

Sardine Recipe

All you need is a few ingredients and there are easy substitutes if you don’t have these things:

• Canned sardines in tomato sauce – if you don’t have sardines in tomato sauce, you can substitute another flavor of canned sardines plus an 8-ounce can of tomato sauce.

• Cooked rice – other options include quinoa, couscous, mashed potatoes, cauliflower rice, roasted vegetables or salad greens.

• Eggs – cook the eggs any way you like, but I prefer over easy with a nice runny yolk.

• Onion – this is optional, but it adds a lot of flavor with little effort and you probably already have it on hand.

• Vegetables – this is also optional, but you’ll have a healthy complete meal if you add some veggies to your bowl such as broccoli or green beans. You can use fresh, frozen or canned.

• Red pepper flakes – this is for spice and flavor. Use as little or as much as you can handle.

You can use any type of chili you like. Some of my favorites are aleppo chile or gochugaru (Korean hot pepper), but cayenne pepper gets the job done just fine.

Hot sauce works too! Sardines and spicy go together so I recommend adding at least a pinch.

I highly recommend reading the comments for all the amazing tips, tricks and ways others have enjoyed this recipe.

I’d also love if you share your favorite canned sardine recipes in the comments below!

Pin this to your dinner board!

If you like fish and dinners with less than 5 ingredients, give this Buffalo Salmon a try!