Tuna Pasta

Name: Tuna Pasta
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 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)

overhead shot of a plate of pasta garnished with parsley

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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Table of Contents

Tuna Pasta Ingredients
Substitutions And Additions For Pasta Salad With Tuna Recipe
How To Make This Tuna Pasta Recipe
How To Serve
Storage
Frequently Asked Questions
More Recipes You’ll Love
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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

Tuna Pasta raw ingredients that are labeled

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.

You’ll need:

½ pound of penne pasta, cooked according to package directions
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 teaspoons of minced garlic cloves
1 tablespoon of capers, roughly chopped
¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons of whipped cream cheese
½ cup of grated parmesan cheese (plus additional for garnish)
5-ounce can of chunk light tuna, drained
1 tablespoon of fresh chopped parsley (plus additional for garnish)
2 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese, optional garnish
1 tablespoon of fresh chopped parsley, optional garnish
Zest of half a lemon, optional garnish

Substitutions And Additions For Pasta Salad With Tuna Recipe

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.

OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS

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.

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.

add olive oil, minced garlic, capers, and red pepper chili flakes to a skillet

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.

add the rained cooked pasta, grated parmesan cheese, drained canned tuna, and chopped fresh parsley to the pot

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.

PRO TIP:

This tuna pasta salad recipe is best served while it is still warm.

garnish pasta with 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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Creamy Garlic Pasta

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.

close up shot of pasta garnished with parsley in a pot with a wooden spoon

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a different type of pasta in this tuna fish pasta salad recipe?

Any type of pasta would be delicious in this recipe. Pick your favorite.

What type of tuna is best for this easy recipe?

You can use any type of tuna you’d like for this tuna pasta penne, although we would recommend avoiding flavored tuna.

Can I freeze tuna pasta?

We don’t recommend freezing this tuna pasta as the creamy sauce may become watery once thawed. You can keep the leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to two days.

More Recipes You’ll Love

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

Cook Time 5

Total Time 15

Servings

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Ingredients

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

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This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!