Tuna pasta is such a great dinner to make when you don’t have much in the cupboard. For canned tuna recipe cynics out there – it’s time to take a leap of faith! This is seriously tasty, very economical and super fast – it comes together in 15 minutes flat, from start to finish.
Yes – canned tuna CAN be delicious!
I feel like the words “tasty meal” and “canned tuna” aren’t usually in the same sentence. Bad memories of poor cash strapped university days and crash diets, hastily thrown together tuna and rice, bland tuna salads, mayo-laden tuna sandwiches.
But you can make canned tuna delicious!!! Just a little bit of thought, a bit of imagination, a smidge of effort and a lot of anticipation for a hot, tasty meal as your reward.
Today’s reward in question? Tuna pasta. A spritz of lemon, a sprinkle of capers, and using the oil from the tuna can. You never knew a canned tuna pasta could be so delicious!!!
Ingredients in canned tuna pasta
No capers? Chop pickles instead. No lemon? Add a dash of vinegar. No anchovies? Still worth making! We get a really good (free) flavour boost by using the oil from the cans of tuna. Anchovies just makes it that little bit more special!
Garlic missing from the photo – oops! 🙂
Canned tuna – Tuna in oil is the go here! We use the oil from the can of tuna for the sauce to sauté the garlic until golden. No tuna in oil? It’s ok! Just use olive oil instead and tip the liquid from the can of tuna into the sauce.
TIP – Not all canned tuna is created equal. Premium canned tuna in a good fruity olive oil will set you back more than a generic home brand in tasteless canola oil. But also, premium canned tuna piled on crusty bread with a drizzle of the oil from the can is pure joy. I hope you try it one day. 🙂
Anchovies – Anchovies make everything taste better! Finely minced then sautéed in oil so they dissolve and lose the fishiness, just leaving great savouriness into the dish. I always have a jar in the fridge. Always! Anchovy paste – use 1 teaspoon.
Capers – For a pop of fresh tang! I like to use baby capers. If you only have large ones, give them a rough chop. No capers? Chop pickles instead!
Lemon – Juice for sour and zest for lemon flavour. It really does lift the dish so I hope you have it! Lemon is a staple ingredient I always have on hand. But if you don’t, this dish is still worth making. Add a dash of vinegar instead.
Chilli flakes / red pepper flakes – For a hum of warmth. This isn’t a spicy pasta. Substitute with finely chopped fresh chilli or a smidge of chilli paste or sauce (add this at the end). Or leave it out for no spiciness at all.
Parsley – For freshness. Not critical.
Pictured below is the tuna I’ve used, a mid-range one sold at supermarkets in Australia. I use 3 x 95g/3.5oz small cans which I feel is the right amount of protein for a pasta which serves 2 people. However, the recipe can take more or less tuna so don’t get too hung up on exact tuna quantity!
How to make canned tuna pasta
Get the pasta cooking then start preparing the ingredients for the sauce. That’s how you’ll get this on the table in 15 minutes flat, from start to finish!
Cook the pasta in salted water per packet directions minus 1 minute. The pasta will be slightly under al dente (ie underdone) but that’s ok. The pasta will finish cooking with the sauce, during which time it will absorb the tasty flavours of the sauce!
Reserve pasta cooking water – Just before draining, scoop out 1 cup of cooking water then drain the pasta. Why? Because we will be using this to make the sauce for the pasta. The starch in the pasta cooking water will react with the oil in the sauce to make it thicken so it clings to the pasta strands instead of remaining as a watery sauce at the bottom of the pan.
Tuna oil – Pour the oil from the tuna can(s) into the same pot and heat over medium heat.
Sauté garlic, anchovies and chilli flakes for 1 minute.
Pasta and water – Add the pasta, capers and 1/3 cup of reserved pasta water. Toss using 2 spatulas for 2 minutes. During this step, the oil and the starchy pasta cooking water will thicken into a sauce that clings to the pasta. Also during this step the pasta will finish cooking from just under al dente to al dente. If the pasta is still too firm for your taste, add more of the pasta cooking water and keep cooking the pasta.
Add tuna – Turn off the heat. Add tuna, parsley, lemon zest, juice, salt and pepper. Toss gently so the tuna stays in chunks and doesn’t crumble into tiny little bits.
Then serve immediately!
As with all pastas, this is at its prime freshly made, right off the stove, when the pasta is hot and slippery with sauce! If it’s sitting around for a while and the pasta cools down and dries out, it can be easily rejuvenated with a splash of the reserved pasta cooking water and a toss on the stove for 30 seconds or so, to reheat the pasta and make it slick with sauce again.
To make it a complete meal, don’t hesitate to throw in a couple of handfuls of rocket/arugula or baby spinach at the end. Else, serve it with a simple garden salad or whatever leafy greens / steam vegetables you’ve got tossed with an everyday salad dressing.
Enjoy! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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The most amazing canned tuna pasta!
Ingredients
- 200g / 7oz spaghetti , or other thin long pasta
- 1 tbsp cooking salt , for cooking pasta
Tuna sauce:
- 285g/ 10 oz (approx) canned tuna in oil , drained, oil reserved (I use 3 x 95g/3.5oz cans, Note 1)
- 2 clove garlic , finely minced
- 2 anchovy fillets , minced (Note 2)
- 1/2 tsp chilli flakes / red pepper flakes (can skip, Note 3)
- 2 tsp baby capers (or finely chopped pickles)
- 1 tbsp parsley , finely chopped (ok to skip)
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp lemon juice (sub 1 tbsp apple cider or sherry vinegar)
- 1/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Cook pasta – Bring 3 litres / 3 quarts of water to the boil with the 1 tablespoon of salt. Cook pasta per the packet time minus 1 minute. Just before draining, scoop out ~1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
- Sauté aromatics – In the same pot, heat the reserved oil from the tuna cans over medium heat. Add the garlic, anchovies and chilli flakes. Cook and stir for 1 minute.
- Toss pasta – Add the pasta, capers and 1/3 cup of reserved pasta water. Toss using 2 spatulas for 2 minutes.
- Add tuna – Turn off the heat. Add tuna, parsley, lemon zest, juice, salt and pepper. Toss gently to mix through – try to keep some tuna chunks.
- Serve immediately!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Got canned tuna? Dinner’s half done!
Life of Dozer
At my local coffee shop, Zubi in Newport (Sydney Northern Beaches). Best coffee in my area – I searched wide and far!!
Absolutely delicious, topped it with toasted breadcrumbs for a texture contrast. Will definitely make it again.
Absolutely loved this
How long can I store anchovies and Capers? the brand I bought just say refrigerate, others say 3 days
I have always kept both capers and anchovies in the fridge for as long as they last without any issues at all. Just ensure the oil in the anchovy jar covers the anchovies entirely and the capers are covered in brine. Tinned anchovies, I always use within a couple of days.
Mr. HotFlash and I had this last night. I didn’t tell him what dinner was coz I was less than enthusiastic (as you say, canned tuna and pasta? er, ummm). We cooked it together (a rare feat!) and then wolfed it down with some air-fried zucchini with your Sesame Dressing. And the promise of 15 minutes, which I find usually find greatly understated, bingo. Amazing tuna *and * the zucchini, all in 15 min. We were truly amazed ; ) This is a keeper.
PS. I froze the other 2 anchovy fillets that came in that can along with the rest of the saucy bits, so anytime I have 15 min and a can of tuna I have dinner. I have no doubt that someday this will save my life.
Forgot to leave a rating lol
I cooked this whole recipe in the microwave – including the pasta – as my old kitchen was demolished today. Perfect result! Who needs a cooktop, I say.
Forgot to give it a rating 🤪
I usually do not leave reviews but this was delicious, affordable and quick! I only had tuna in brine instead of oil. So I took the 2tbsp of evoo and added the anchovies, garlic, and red pepper flakes to a bowl and let it sit while I was prepping and cooking the pasta so the flavors would fuse into the oil. I used to live in Italy and this took me back to the good Ole days. This will be in my weekly rotation
This was absolutely delicious. I didn’t have parsley so I subbed fresh dill and that worked beautifully. I bought a very high quality tuna fillet in a glass jar…$10, but so worth it. We will definitely be making this again. I just had the cold leftovers for lunch..yum!
This has been my kids fav dish since they could eat solids! You must use sirena tuna with all its oil. Also, I add 1-2 fresh large tomatos chopped (skin removed or canned ok) after you’ve melted the anchovies in the oil. Remember it’s an oil sauce, the tomato is for flavour only. Bellissimo!
Yum! My husband and I really liked enjoyed this. In the water with the pasta I added 1/2 dehydrated zucchini noodles I made from last year’s garden. Not only did it add some veggies, but it gave the dish a little added “crunch”/chew that was fabulous.
delicious
Hi, I’m just wondering if you have suggestion for this recipe using GF pasta. The water from cooking GF pasta is extremely gluggy so I don’t know if it would be nice to use the pasta water for the sauce?
I’ve used GF pasta water many times and it works fine.
Yeah, gluten free here, too. We have a brand of GF pasta that works very well and had no issues, but I remember when we used other brands. But really, I think you could go ahead and just use it. Perhaps not cook the pasta so done. since GF, esp rice, tends to take way less time than wheat.
This recipe was AMAZING!
Very sceptical when I read tinned tuna but enjoyed thoroughly by all. Added some shredded kale from the garden.
Faultless recipe. So good!
Made this for visitors as well as many times ourselves. Just amazing flavours and made exactly as the recipe says.
Yum yum
It’s no joke, this recipe really is the best tinned tuna pasta I have ever tried! Thank you so much for developing so many budget friendly recipes!
We did find that 285g of tuna wasn’t enough protein for the two of us, so I’ve doubled (or even triple) that, to allow for leftovers when cooking this recipe.
I also found using the very cheapest tins of tuna gave me much more oil with a stronger flavour than the more expensive ones. This meant I didn’t have to splurge on the anchovies. The smell of the onion frying in the oil was simply divine.
I use a gluten free pasta, and because of the high starch content in that sort of pasta, using the cooking water does help sauces stick well.
To keep costs down, I also use bottled lemon juice and splash in a bit of the brine the baby capers sit in. This really helps give it that tangy flavour without needing the lemon zest.
We love this recipe so much as cheap dinner that’s quick and simple for me to put together. Increasing the volume of the sauce also helps the leftovers stay nice the next day.
This one is a family favourite for sure!
My Italian mom used to make this and I do now. Sometimes with fresh Tuna and sometimes with canned. Always delicious. Can’t make a mistake on this one. Just use quality ingredients, good extra virgin oil and tuna if using canned. Thanks Nagi for bringing it back!
5 star!
Absolutely delicious. Thank you!
A delicious dinner that was quick and easy to make. I doubled the anchovies and capers – yum!
We had this last night and it was absolutely delicious! I think next time I make it, I might add some marinated artichoke hearts. I think it would work really well with this dish.
This was incredible, thanks for the super easy dinner!