Tuna Pesto Pasta

This tuna pesto pasta is a 3 ingredient meal that is a delicious and refreshing idea for a summer pasta. Light and flavorful, this can be served warm for dinner or as a cold pasta salad for lunches.

Flavorful tuna packed in olive oil is high in protein and helps balance the pasta, with the pesto adding lots of greens and flavor. It would be great for a summer picnic lunch, paired with fresh fruit, a cheeseboard, and a mini turkey pesto sandwiches.

This tuna pesto pasta recipe will become a go to staple when you can't think of anything else to cook!

Jump to:

• Tuna and Pesto
• Which Canned Tuna is Best?
• Ingredients
• How to Make
• Substitutions
• Serving Suggestions
• Storage Instructions
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Favorite Pasta Recipes
• Tuna Pesto Pasta

Tuna and Pesto

If you've never tried this combination before, you're really missing out! By using really good quality tuna, you'll feel like you're on the Italian coast eating this dish. It reminds me of my honeymoon there - lots of great fish, and simple pastas with bold and fresh flavors.

You'll love this recipe for a few reasons!

• Meal prep - This recipe is ideal to meal prep ahead and use for lunches as a tuna pesto pasta salad. It tastes great warm or cold.
• Minimal ingredients - If you have a favorite store-bought pesto you love, that makes this a very quick recipe. However, I usually whip up this pesto with sunflower seeds in less than 5 minutes before I make this dish.
• Quick - Using canned tuna, this recipe only requires you to cook the pasta - that's it!
• Healthy - With lots of protein from the tuna, you're getting a good meal with lots of greens and it's easy to make dairy and gluten free if you have those restrictions as well.

Which Canned Tuna is Best?

I would highly recommend choosing a tuna packed in olive oil for the best flavor for this dish. This is also widely available at many grocery stores. The only things you need to watch for are - a large amount of added sodium and any broths or flavorings. Just choose plain tuna packed in olive oil.

Skipjack, albacore, and yellowtail are the most common types that you'll see packaged. There's not one "best" type of tuna, but it can be important to look for "pole and line caught" or "troll caught".

Because the tuna is a highlight in this pasta, I went with a higher-quality brand like Tonnino, but it's not necessary to buy that brand specifically.

Ingredients

Three ingredients are all you need for this tuna pesto recipe.

Tuna - As stated before, I recommend one packed in olive oil, but both types will work in a pinch. Tonnino was the brand I chose, but Safe Catch and Wild Planet are other brands I like to use. I believe you can find Wild Planet at Costco.

Pasta - Choose any style pasta you like. I used penne here, but fusilli, spaghetti, or linguine are also great options. I recommend penne or fusilli if serving cold, pasta salad style.

Pesto - Homemade and store-bought will work for this recipe. For those following a migraine diet, it can be tricky to locate one without parmesan cheese. Sometimes I like to use Le Grand, which can be found at Whole Foods. But for those who are citrus-sensitive, you will need to do a homemade version, like this sunflower seed pesto.

How to Make

Step 1 - Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat and add your pasta of choice, cooking according to package directions.

Step 2 - Combine tuna and pesto. If making your own pesto, do it while the pasta is cooking. Then add the tuna and pesto to a large bowl.

Step 3 - Stir in the pasta and serve. Drain the pasta from the water and mix it into the pesto and tuna while it's warm. Either serve warm, or cover and place into the fridge to chill for a tuna pesto pasta salad (Picture 3 and 4).

If making you own homemade pesto, simply combine all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse till smooth.

Substitutions

• For gluten free - Use a favorite gluten free pasta like Jovial.
• For dairy free - Use a dairy free pesto like my sunflower seed pesto recipe or LeGrand.
• Tuna replacements - I've substituted the tuna with salmon and it's very good! Any favorite fish or crab meat would mix well into this recipe.

Serving Suggestions

Tuna pesto pasta is great for road trips or camping! Just place it into an air tight container and pack into a cooler with ice. I love it for road trips because it gives you a good amount of protein and carbs for energy, but also keeps you full. Plus it can be eaten straight from the container.

Because this works well for on the go places, like picnics, I would serve this with fresh fruit like strawberries, blueberries, and melon. It would also be great with tiny balls of mozzarella.

For a luncheon, I would recommend serving with small chicken salad sandwiches.

Need to use up leftover pesto? Try my crockpot pesto chicken or pesto turkey sandwiches.

Storage Instructions

This recipe will keep well in the refrigerator, covered, up to 3-4 days.

I have not tested this by freezing it before, but I would recommend freezing the pesto separately, then making this the day of. It's quick and easy, so it would take you about the same time to defrost it well from frozen as it would to make from scratch.

To defrost pesto - place overnight in the fridge or in a container of warm water. Do not microwave it.

One thing to be mindful of is pesto can turn black and bitter if reheated on too high of heat. Therefore it's best to serve leftovers cold or at room temperature.

Frequently Asked Questions

Favorite Pasta Recipes

If you love this tuna pesto mix you'll love these other popular pasta recipes.

If you make this, tag me #thedizzycook or @thedizzycook on Facebook and Instagram. And if you love the recipe, please leave a review below! Follow along on my Pinterest for more great recipes.