Tuna Pasta
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This flavorful Tuna Pasta is one of the best ways to elevate canned tuna and excellent for those dinner rut moments. It’s made with pantry staples including hearty spaghetti, vibrant sun dried tomatoes and capers, time saving pre-cooked tuna, and it’s all highlighted with a lemony herb oil finish.
This is the easy dinner you’ll love on hectic days. It’s also a great way to incorporate an inexpensive seafood in your dinner rotation.
Canned tuna is packed with protein, it’s pre-cooked and ready to go, and it makes a great addition to meals going beyond just tuna salad.
The other great thing about canned tuna is that since it’s left plain and unseasoned it leaves plenty of opportunity to season it in various ways. Here we add an Italian spin and create a deliciously satisfying pasta dinner you can turn to any day of the year!
Tuna Pasta Recipe Ingredients
Spaghetti: A great pasta choice here for the base of the dish.
Salt and black pepper: Added for enhanced flavor.
Extra virgin olive oil: Essential for a rich coating and added moisture for the pasta.
Green onions: Used to build up the background flavor of the dish.
Sun dried tomatoes: Added for a zesty pop of bright flavor.
Capers: These add salty, briny flavor that pairs super well with the flavor of tuna.
Garlic: Included for some traditional Italian flavor.
Red pepper flakes: You can adjust the amount of these added to taste as they are spicy.
Canned tuna in olive oil: Be sure to use tuna in oil vs. tuna in water as you’ll also be including the oil from the can for the pasta dressing.
Lemon: A key flavor here to enhance the tuna. Both the zest and juice will be used.
Parsley: This ingredient adds fresh herby flavor and a pretty pop of color.
How to Make Tuna Pasta
Cook pasta: Boil spaghetti to al dente in a large pot of salted boiling water according to directions on package. Before draining reserve 1 cup pasta water.
Saute seasonings: Near the end of pasta cooking heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium low heat. Add green onion white portions and saute 1 minute.
Add sun dried tomatoes, capers, garlic, black pepper, and red pepper flakes and saute 1 minute longer. Remove from heat.
Toss pasta with tuna, additional add ins, and lemon: Return drained pasta to empty pot along with 1/3 cup pasta water, the sun dried tomato mixture, tuna with oil, lemon juice and lemon zest. Toss mixture, season with salt to taste and cook briefly over low heat for about 1 minute while breaking up tuna chunks.
Finish with greens: Remove from heat. Toss in parsley and darker green onion portions. Thin with more reserved pasta water as needed and add a little more olive oil to taste if desired.
Helpful Tips
Use tuna in oil: For a rich, well coated pasta and better flavor use canned tuna packed in oil vs tuna in water.
Al dente pasta: Cook pasta to al dente so it doesn’t end up soggy as it rests and so it holds up well to the add ins.
Use portions of green onions seperately: The white portions of green onions are more bold in flavor and they hold up better to sauteing, the green portion is more mild so they work better as a topping added later.
Possible Variations
Pasta: You can use many other types of pasta here. Long or medium will work best. Something like bucatini, linguine, bow ties, rotinini, or medium shells.
Gluten free: If you need to make this dish gluten free simply use a rice/corn based gluten free pasta or gluten free chick pea pasta.
Protein: Use other types of cooked fish such as canned salmon, fresh cooked tuna, or cooked shrimp. If you don’t like seafood try it with rotisserie chicken.
Vegetables: Substitute the sun dried tomatoes with other vegetables such as roasted red peppers and marinated artichokes.
Onions: If you want bolder onion flavor try this dish with shallot or red onion in place of green onions (saute through for a softer bite).
Herbs: In place of parsley try this tuna pasta with fresh basil.
Storage:
- Store any leftovers up to 3 days in the fridge.
- Serve chilled like a pasta salad (add a splash of oil or broth as needed to thin) or rewarm individual servings gently on 50% power in the microwave until just warmed through.
- This dish is not recommended for freezing.
More Recipes to Make with Canned Tuna
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Tuna Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 oz. dry spaghetti
- Salt
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, then more if desired
- 3 green onions, sliced, white and darker portions kept separate
- 1/3 cup (slightly packed) sun dried tomatoes (in oil well drained)
- 3 Tbsp drained non-pareil capers
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, or more to taste
- 2 (5 oz each) cans tuna in olive oil, undrained
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice plus 1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon zest
- 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Cook spaghetti to al dente in a large pot of salted boiling water according to directions on package. Before draining reserve 1 cup pasta water.
- Near the end of pasta cooking heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium low heat. Add green onion white portions and saute 1 minute.
- Add sun dried tomatoes, capers, garlic, black pepper, and red pepper flakes and saute 1 minute longer. Remove from heat.
- Return drained pasta to empty pot along with 1/3 cup pasta water, the sun dried tomato mixture, tuna with oil, lemon juice and lemon zest. Toss mixture, season with salt to taste and cook briefly over low heat for about 1 minute while breaking up tuna chunks.
- Remove from heat. Toss in parsley and darker green onion portions. Thin with more reserved pasta water as needed and add a little more olive oil to taste if desired.