Enjoy an easy tuna pesto pasta recipe in just 20 minutes—the flavorful pasta dish is perfect for busy weeknights or a light lunch! If you need more quick meal ideas, try a strawberry salad with goat cheese or fried salmon bites.
Key Ingredients
Tuna pesto pasta is a versatile dish that combines pantry staples into one easy-to-make meal, perfect for meal prep or packed lunches. Here’s what you need to get started.
- Pasta: Use your favorite pasta to make this recipe. I like bow ties, but swap them for a different type of pasta or whatever you have in the pantry.
- Pesto: Use store-bought pesto or whip up a quick homemade pesto sauce using fresh garlic cloves, pine nuts, kosher salt, freshly grated parmesan cheese, basil leaves, and extra virgin olive oil.
- Pasta Water: Reserve once cup of pasta cooking water. The starchy pasta water will loosen the sauce and help it adhere to the pasta.
- Tuna: Incorporate oil-packed canned tuna for extra flavor; you will need about two cans of tuna.
- Mix-Ins: Brighten the pasta salad with fresh basil leaves, artichoke hearts, and olive oil.
Additions and Substitutions
Use a different pasta shape, swap tuna for canned salmon, or replace the fresh basil leaves with spinach or arugula. You can customize the simple pesto pasta with whatever ingredients you have on hand!
- Experiment with pesto. Swap traditional basil pesto for pistachio pesto, walnut pesto, sun-dried tomato pesto, arugula pesto, or AIP pesto to meet your dietary needs.
- Load up on veggies. Add blanched asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, sliced red onion, grape tomatoes, black olives, or cherry tomatoes.
- Try a different protein. Pesto pasta is a great way to use leftover Dutch oven pulled chicken, thin cut chicken breast, or baked salmon from a previous meal. Or you can replace the canned tuna with canned chicken or salmon, chickpeas, or white beans like cannellini beans.
How to Make Tuna Pesto Pasta
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat and cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve one cup of the pasta water before draining.
Cooking Tip
Cook the pasta slightly less than the package directions suggest to keep the noodles al dente.
Step 2: Combine the garlic, pine nuts, and salt in a food processor until crumbly. Add the parmesan cheese and basil leaves and process until combined. Then, stir in the olive oil.
Step 3: Combine the drained tuna and pesto sauce in a small bowl.
Step 4: Transfer the pesto tuna and cooked pasta to a large bowl and toss to coat. Use the reserved pasta water and olive oil to loosen the mixture.
Then, stir in the artichoke hearts and fresh basil leaves to serve.
Expert Tips
- Cook the pasta al dente. The last thing you want when making pasta salad is sticky, overcooked pasta noodles. Follow the package instructions or reduce the recommended cooking time by a few minutes for al dente pasta, which according to Chef Alex Aïnouz on an episode of Milkstreet means firm, but not undercooked.
- Use a thin pesto. You want the pesto in this tuna pasta salad to be on the looser side to thoroughly coat the pasta. Some pesto recipes are thick, so you may need to add more olive oil until the pesto is smooth. Then, gently fold the ingredients together while the pasta is warm.
If you enjoy the tuna pesto pasta, try even more pasta recipes!
Serving Suggestions
Put the finishing touches on the pesto tuna pasta salad with a sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and cracked black pepper.
Serve it as a quick lunch or easy weeknight meal alongside a simple arugula spinach salad with basil balsamic vinaigrette. Don’t forget a buttery roll or a slice of Dutch oven sourdough bread to complete the meal.
What To Do With Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store leftover pasta in an airtight container for 1-2 days.
- Can you freeze tuna pesto pasta? I do not recommend freezing the dish.
- Reheat: Warm the leftovers in the microwave or eat it as a cold tuna pesto pasta salad. It’s up to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which canned tuna is best?
Solid white albacore tuna is perfect if you prefer firm, flaky chunks, while light tuna offers a softer blended texture. Oil-packed tuna provides more flavor, whereas water-packed keeps the meal on the lighter side.
Look for sustainably caught options like Wild Planet, Safe Catch, or American Tuna for the best quality.
More Pesto Recipes:
Tuna Pesto Pasta
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 12 ounces dry pasta
- ½ cup pesto, store-bought or homemade
- 1 cup reserved pasta water
- 2 cans (5 ounces) tuna, drained
- ¼ cup artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- black pepper, to taste
- Bring a large pot
of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat and cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve one cup of the pasta water before draining. - Meanwhile, make homemade pesto or use store-bought pesto. Combine the garlic, pine nuts, and salt in a food processor until crumbly. Add the parmesan cheese and basil leaves and process until combined. Then, stir in the olive oil.
- Combine the drained tuna and pesto sauce in a small bowl.
- Transfer the pesto tuna and cooked pasta to a large bowl and toss to coat. Use the reserved pasta water and olive oil to loosen the mixture. Then, stir in the artichoke hearts and fresh basil leaves to serve.
- Cook the pasta al dente. The last thing you want when making pasta salad is sticky, overcooked pasta noodles. Follow the package instructions or reduce the recommended cooking time by a few minutes for al dente pasta, which according to Chef Alex Aïnouz on an episode of Milkstreet means firm, but not undercooked.
- Use a thin pesto. You want the pesto in this tuna pasta salad to be on the looser side to thoroughly coat the pasta. Some pesto recipes are thick, so you may need to add more olive oil until the pesto is smooth. Then, gently fold the ingredients together while the pasta is warm.