Tuna Pasta

This tuna pasta dish comes together in 15 minutes and features tangy citrus, salty capers, and creamy sauce coating tender pasta noodles.

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This ​lemony tuna pasta is a delicious and flavorful meal that comes together quickly for an easy dinner. Tender pasta is tossed with a savory combination of garlic, lemon, tuna, capers, and velvety cream cheese in this creamy pasta dish.

Tuna Pasta Ingredients

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The creamy pasta sauce brings an explosion of flavors to a simple pasta with the tangy lemon juice, salty capers, savory garlic, and spice of the red pepper flakes all mingling together.

Toss that with the tender pasta and tuna, and you have yourself a Mediterranean-inspired meal that is perfectly hearty and light at the same time.

CANNED TUNA: I always use tuna packed in water for my recipes, which is what my family likes.

You can most certainly use tuna packed in oil if you prefer. If you do use the oil-packed variety, I suggest using the brands that use olive oil for the best flavor.

TUNA: You can swap out the chunk light (darker tuna) for a solid white tuna variety in this creamy tuna pasta. Both will taste delicious.

I do not suggest using the flavored tuna that comes in pouches for this tuna dish, as I do not know how the flavors of the sauce would work with the pouch flavorings.

CREAM CHEESE: I love using tubs of whipped cream cheese for light sauces like this one. It melts and blends quickly and smoothly in the sauce.

You can use standard block cream cheese, but you will want to be sure that it is at room temperature first.

You will only need 2 tablespoons since it is denser than the whipped version.

CAPERS: If you think that you do not like capers, then I highly suggest you give them a try in this tuna recipe. They add a beautiful “salty-ness” to the sauce and pair very well with lemon and tuna.

You can leave them out of the recipe; however, I suggest you replace them with ½ teaspoon of salt in the sauce.

How To Make This Tuna Pasta Recipe

To make this simple tuna pasta recipe, start by cooking the pasta according to the directions on the package.

With about five minutes left of cook time, the pasta sauce comes together quickly in a skillet. Toss it all together, and you have a delicious meal in 15 minutes.

STEP ONE: Prepare your penne pasta according to the package instructions, 10 to 12 minutes, until al dente. Drain and set aside. You will make your sauce during the last 5 minutes of your noodles boiling.

STEP TWO: In a large skillet, on medium-high heat, add the olive oil, minced garlic, capers, and red pepper chili flakes.

Stir and heat for 30 seconds to one minute or just until the garlic is fragrant.

STEP THREE: Add the lemon juice and whipped cream cheese to the skillet.

Stir until the cream cheese has completely melted and blended with the other ingredients to create a sauce.

STEP FOUR: Turn the heat down to low and add the drained cooked pasta, grated parmesan cheese, drained canned tuna, and chopped fresh parsley.

STEP FIVE: Use tongs to gently toss all the pasta, sauce, cheese, and tuna together, being careful not to break up the chunks of tuna too much.

Garnish with the additional sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese, fresh chopped parsley, and lemon zest.

How To Serve

Enjoy this easy meal of garlic lemon tuna pasta for a delicious weeknight dinner.

Add our buttery garlic bread on the side for a complete meal that will become a family favorite.

For a lighter side dish, add a Caesar salad or tomato cucumber salad for extra freshness, along with this pasta recipe with tuna.

If you are looking for more ideas for easy dinners, two more pasta recipes that we highly recommend trying are our everything bagel pasta and our carbonara pasta.

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Storage

If you need to store leftovers for later, here’s how:

IN THE FRIDGE: Leftovers of this lemon garlic pasta can be stored in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 2 days. 

IN THE FREEZER: I do not recommend freezing this tuna & pasta dish. 

Whip up this tuna pasta recipe when you are looking for a tasty meal with simple ingredients that the whole family will enjoy. The light and refreshing salty and citrusy flavors of this dish are sure to awaken your taste buds when you dig in.

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Tuna Pasta

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This tuna pasta dish comes together in 15 minutes and features tangy citrus, salty capers, and creamy sauce coating tender pasta noodles.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4

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Ingredients

  

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• ½ pound penne pasta, cooked according to package directions
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon capers, roughly chopped
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons whipped cream cheese
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese, plus additional for garnish
• 5 ounces chunk light tuna, drained
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley, plus additional for garnish
• 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, optional garnish
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley, optional garnish
• ½ lemon zest, optional garnish

Instructions

 

• Prepare your penne pasta according to the package directions, 10 to 12 minutes, until al dente. Drain and set aside. You will make your sauce during the last 5 minutes of your noodles boiling.
• In a large skillet, on medium-high heat, add the olive oil, minced garlic, capers, and red pepper flakes. Stir and heat for 30 seconds to one minute or just until the garlic is fragrant.
• Add the lemon juice and whipped cream cheese to the skillet. Stir until the cream cheese has completely melted and blended with the other ingredients to create a sauce.
• Turn the heat down to low and add the drained pasta, grated parmesan cheese, drained tuna, and chopped fresh parsley.
• Gently toss all the pasta, sauce, cheese, and tuna together, being careful not to break up the chunks of tuna too much. Garnish with the additional sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese, fresh chopped parsley, and lemon zest.

Notes

• If you think that you do not like capers, then I highly suggest you give them a try in this tuna recipe. They add a beautiful “salty-ness” to the sauce and pair very well with lemon and tuna. You can leave them out of the recipe; however, I suggest you replace them with ½ teaspoon of salt in the sauce.
• You can easily double this recipe using a full one-pound box of penne pasta.
• I will often reserve ¼ to ½ cup of the starchy pasta cooking water from boiling my pasta before I drain it. When I am making quick, thin sauces, I find that if I add a tablespoon or so of the reserved pasta water to the sauce, it will slightly thicken the sauce and thin it if necessary.
• This tuna pasta salad recipe is best served while it is still warm.

Nutrition

Calories: 420kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 377mg | Potassium: 282mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 505IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 167mg | Iron: 2mg

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