Tuna Pesto Pasta

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

A tasty, nutritious and ridiculously easy 15-minute tuna pesto pasta recipe made with just 5 pantry ingredients.

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: people

Calories: 539kcal

Author: Helen

Equipment

Ingredients

7 oz pasta (Note 1)
⅓ cup pesto (Note 2)
1 6 oz can tuna (Note 3)
½ tsp anchovy paste (optional)
2 cups spinach (optional) (Note 4)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Place a pan of water on a high heat and salt generously. Add the pasta when the water starts to boil and cook according to the packet instructions.
Meanwhile, mix the tuna, pesto and optional anchovy paste in a bowl.
Reserve 1-2 tablespoons of pasta water before draining with a colander.
Set the cooked pasta aside, place the pasta pan on a medium to low heat (or use a new pan if you prefer), add the spinach and cook for a couple of minutes until wilted.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the pesto, tuna and anchovy paste mixture.
Add the pasta and mix thoroughly. Add a little of the reserved pasta water if the pasta looks like it could benefit from some additional moisture.
Serve immediately with freshly ground black pepper.

Notes

Pasta: Choose any pasta shape that takes your fancy (or that you have in stock). I usually opt for penne or fusilli but linguine, spaghetti, tagliatelle or farfalle will also work.
Pesto - use store-bought pesto, or make homemade basil pesto from scratch. The amount of pesto you need will vary depending on the type and brand you use as well as your personal preference for how much pesto flavor vs tuna flavor you want.
Tuna: I use canned tuna stored in spring water, but you can use tuna stored in oil if you prefer.
Spinach: You can omit it and still have a very tasty plate of pasta on your hands or swap it for another type of green veg such as beans, kale or broccoli. Frozen peas or petit pois also work well if you don't have any fresh green veg in stock.

Storage:

Tuna pesto pasta tastes great the next day and can be stored in the fridge for up to 3-4 days in an airtight container. It's best enjoyed cold, but can also be reheated in the stove or in the microwave.

I don't advise freezing it because it will lose its freshness. It only takes 15 minutes to make, so it is best to cook up a fresh batch.

Nutrition