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plate with penne with tuna and pesto with squeezed lemons and crispy topping behind.
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Quick Tuna Pesto Pasta

Comforting tuna pesto pasta with canned tuna, pesto, capers, and pine nuts. A delicious recipe made with pantry ingredients that’s ready in about 15 minutes.
Course Pasta Recipes
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 934kcal
Author Adina

Equipment

  • 1 Large pot
  • 1 Small pan

Ingredients

Tuna pasta:

  • 1 lb penne 450 g Note 1
  • 2 cans tuna in oil about 10-12 oz
  • 1 cup pesto 100 g Note 2
  • 3 tablespoons Parmesan loosely packed Note 3
  • 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed

Topping:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon capers heaped
  • 3 tablespoons pine nuts
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest freshly grated and loosely packed Note 4
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • ½ teaspoon oregano
  • fine sea salt or Kosher
  • ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Cook pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt generously and cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions. Reserve about 1 cup of cooking water before draining.
  • Preparations: In the meantime, grate the garlic cloves and Parmesan. Zest the lemon. Place the capers on a paper towel and pat them dry. Drain and flake the tuna.

Topping:

  • Heat the oil in a small pan. Add the capers and the pine nuts and stir fry them for about 30 seconds.
    Add garlic, lemon zest, oregano, a little salt, and pepper. Stir for another 30 to 60 seconds until the pine nuts are golden brown and the garlic lightly golden. Immediately transfer to a plate.

Tuna pesto pasta:

  • Combine: Return the drained pasta to the pot. Add pesto, 2-3 tablespoons of the cooking water, and stir well. Add more cooking water if necessary, so the pasta is coated smoothly with the sauce.
  • Add tuna, Parmesan, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice to the pot and stir again.
  • Adjust the taste with more salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
  • Serve the tuna pesto pasta immediately, generously sprinkled with the crispy topping.

Notes

  1. Or another pasta shape.
  2. Homemade or bought pesto of choice.
  3. Preferably freshly grated, not pre-grated. Pre-grated is grainy, and it won’t melt nicely in the sauce.
  4. Use an unwaxed, preferably organic lemon.

Nutrition

Calories: 934kcal | Carbohydrates: 92g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 1066mg | Potassium: 493mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1373IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 191mg | Iron: 4mg