Tuna Pesto Pasta
The easiest 15-minute canned tuna pesto pasta recipe made with store-bought or homemade basil pesto. It's healthy, gluten-free, and loaded with fresh cherry tomatoes and feta cheese. Serve it warm or cold as a salad!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces pasta (fusilli, farfalle bowtie, rotini, or penne) , whole wheat, chickpea, regular or gluten-free
- ¾ cup of pesto, my basil pesto recipe or store-bought
- ¼ cup leftover pasta water
- 2 (5 ounce) cans tuna stored in water, drained
- 2 cups sweet cherry tomatoes, halved
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta
- ½ tsp black pepper
- Salt to taste, (tuna is already salty, so taste the pasta in step 5 and add salt if you want)
- 1 lemon for serving
- If serving COLD: 3 - 4 handfuls of arugula or baby spinach
Instructions
- If making homemade pesto, follow the instructions here.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add pasta. Cook according to the package until pasta is al dente. When done, strain the pasta (remember to reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water).
- Meanwhile, drain the tuna, add it to a small bowl, and use a fork to break it up. Set it to the side when done.
- Return the pot back to the stove with the cooked pasta in it. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Add in the pesto and reserved pasta water. Stir until combined.
- Gently stir in the tuna, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, and black pepper. Taste and adjust any seasoning to your liking. Season with salt & pepper if desired (remember that tuna and feta are already salty).
- You can serve this pasta warm or cold. I love both.
- If serving warm: make sure the pasta is heated and serve immediately with a squeeze of fresh lemon.
- If serving cold: place the pasta in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to cool, then toss it with the arugula or baby spinach to make is a “salad.” Squeeze half a lemon on top before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Serving: You can enjoy this tuna pesto pasta warm or cold. Both are delicious! If you decide the serve it cold, let the pesto tuna pasta cool in the fridge for at least 1 hour before tossing it with arugula or baby spinach to turn it into a salad.
Add Mix-Ins: The sky is the limit with tuna pesto pasta recipe variations! Add sliced artichoke hearts, chickpeas, blanched asparagus, olives, capers, sun-dried tomatoes, or wilted spinach.
Parmesan Cheese. Swap the feta for parmesan to make this a more Italian-inspired tuna pesto pasta.
Canned Tuna: You can certainly use tuna stored in oil; I prefer tuna stored in water.
Dairy-Free: To make this pesto tuna pasta dairy free, use a dairy-free pesto and remove the feta cheese. You can swap the feta for a dairy-free alternative.
Storing: Store leftover tuna pesto pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
I used my homemade nut-free pesto receipe and regular fusilli pasta for the nutritional calculation below.
Nutrition
Calories: 412kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 593mg | Potassium: 507mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1716IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 93mg | Iron: 3mg
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