Sardines in Tomato Sauce
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!
Sardines in Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ small onion sliced
- 1 teaspoon of oil
- 1 can of sardines in tomato sauce
- 2 cups of cooked rice
- 2 large eggs fried or poached
- Red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add oil to a small frying pan and warm over medium heat.
- Add onion and cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- While the onions are cooking, fry or poach your egg in a separate pan.
- Add sardines with tomato sauce to the pan with onions and heat until bubbly.
- Divide the rice between two bowls and spoon the sardines over top along with the cooked eggs.
- Sprinkle with red pepper flakes and enjoy.
Nutrition
If you like fish and dinners with less than 5 ingredients, give this Buffalo Salmon a try!
Very tasty. I didn’t have sardines so substituted a small can of mackerel fillets in spicy tomato sauce. I added Tabasco sauce (a few drops) to the rice for additional pep and added vegetables to bulk it up. Very quick and easy to prepare even with cooking the rice at the same time.Thanks for the recipe. Next I’ll be trying it with hot smoked mackerel fillets with some horseradish which usually go together well.
@Nigel Thorpe, hey Nigel thanks for the Mackerel tip! That’s all I have in my pantry so I’m glad it worked! I’m excited to give it a go!
This was so good! I added fresh tomatoes and topped it off with red chili flakes and fish sauce (patis). Delicious!
What size can of sardines do you use?They come in different sizes, and also there seems to be a difference among reviewers between a can and a tin of sardines.
Hello, there's no difference between canned and tinned. What you call it just depends on where you're from. I usually use a small can if I'm just just cooking for myself (between 3-5 oz). One of my favorites are the Ligo sardines in tomato with chili and they also come in a large 15 oz can. This recipe can easily adapt to whatever you have available.
Thank you for this inspiration! I bought a can of Sardines in tomato sauce last night on a whim, and I wasn't quite sure what to do with them until I came across your recipe. It was fantastic! I sauteed up some red onions, broccoli, mixed bell peppers, carrots and celery (it was all meal prepped beforehand so it was a cinch!) I definitely found my new favorite meal. It was quick and perfectly satisfying!
Great recipe. Delicious! I topped the sardines with capers and hot sauce; and had green beans and toasted Tuscan bread on the side. I’ve posted a photo on Instagram with a credit to your Instagram channel.
Thanks for the tag. Looked delicious!
I’ve had this pinned for a long time now but never made it. I’m kicking myself for that because it’s delicious! The deterrent was that I couldn’t find sardines in tomato sauce but I happened to have some leftover sauce and added a few tablespoons with regular sardines.
I only used 1/2c rice and it was plenty. I split this with my three year old son and even he loved it.
Super simple, super tasty, I added 4 cloves of
Crushed garlic and a sliced serrano and a little tomato paste to make more sauce. I wasn't sure about the egg but it complimented the dish well it was a fairly light dish as well
@Joshua Quiroz, does the sardine gives a bad fishy smell or flavor? Or is it savory.. I wanna try it but im a bit worried about this.
@Mariam, it is tasty and savory if you add garlic, fresh tomatoes, green onion and oriental will use seasoning such as fish sauce or sugar. Smells like tuna if you saute the herbs and spices with sauce and put in the sardine pieces afterward. It is a comfort food and a rice killer. It is lean protein seafood.
Honestly pretty amazed with this. I hadn't been grocery shopping for awhile but needed to get in a quick lunch... the only substantial thing i had in my pantry however was a small tin of sardines. in tomato sauce. I wondered what I was even doing with that in the first place but after a google search...here we are! and after trying this recipe I loved it! so much so I will be buying more sardines in tomato sauce!
I cooked the rice with some rice vinegar and spices which was tasty! then added a tomato based pesto to the sardines and topped off with a little bit of ketchup over the egg at the end. ( i know that sounds knarly but it was the only tomato based items i had and since i only had a tin, not a can, of sardines i felt like i needed more). But im telling you, it worked.
I added other things as well, like parsley, a parsley based hot sauce and lemon zest to freshen it up a bit. If I had arugula I would've tossed that into the mix as well.
Anyways.. thanks for this!
I'm going to add this meal to my weekly standards because it's so good for you. I raise jumbo Japanese quail in my backyard and I will poach quail eggs in the tomato sauce. I have fresh sardines available and I can see poaching sardines and quail eggs in salsa.
Thank you for the ideas.
I had a getting-old jalapeno in the crisper and chopped and added to the onions (not a comment on the recipe as much as something I like to do with a lot of plates).
I warmed and ate with white rice. My wife likes the fancy rices and I'm 1/2 Japanese so I go for short-grain.
BTW, I had this for breakfast (without the egg). I will add the egg next time. I was impatient this time 🙁
Just made this for dinner with leftover coconut rice and nan was it delicious! I added some fresh mixed ginger and habanero pepper after frying the onion. Also, a sprinkle of cilantro and green onion. Such a great, healthy, simple meal!
Oh wow great flavors, I especially like the coconut rice!
This is definitely a recipe I will be trying. I read the comments and saw a lot of great ideas.
1. Sardine in hot sauce served over Spanish rice. Squeeze lime or lemon over the sardine and add onion, Jalapeño, tomato and cilantro.
2. Sardine with soybean oil. Cut onions, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice and red pepper flakes . Add soybean oil from sardine to skillet with butter and sauté onion, garlic, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes. Add lemons juice and cooked noodles to skillet and add soy sauce and Grated Parmesan cheese.
The possibilities are endless with sardines.
I have never had sardines before, but I decided to make this quick recipe and it was delicious!! I didn’t put the egg on top but I did sauté the onions and sprinkled some fresh cilantro on top. It was great!
This works well over Mie Gorang, Mama noodles, or any spicy ramyeon. I leave the sardines cold. I prefer Philippine sardines in spicy tomato sauce.
This has been a go-to meal of mine for several years. It's also great with mackerel, which you can get in tomato sauce.
I'm off carbs now, but I find this wonderful over cooked spinach. (Maybe with a little nutmeg. Add thyme and allspice and cayenne too if you're prointo that.)
Good idea with the spinach. A meal is never complete for me without my veggies.