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Tuna Pasta with Pesto is a super simple recipe inspired by the sunny Mediterranean island of Sicily in southern Italy. It’s made with a very quick, no cook sauce of mostly kitchen staples including canned tuna in olive oil, chickpeas, black olives, capers, fresh lemon juice and fragrant basil pesto tossed with your favorite pasta. Ready in about 20 minutes!
My Sicilian-American mom made the red version of tuna sauce with pasta on repeat back in the day. We especially enjoyed it on Fridays during Lent and throughout the year. It was and still is a family favorite!
And, while I just adore that version, I was inspired to create this very easy “white” tuna pasta by one I had in Palermo, Sicily a few years back as well as the fresh, fragrant basil growing in my backyard garden.
It turns out that tuna and basil pesto go together as well as peanut butter and jelly!
Seriously though, this might just be the easiest pasta recipe here at Mangia With Michele and it does not skimp on taste or texture! Assuming you start with already made pesto, this dish can be on the table in basically the time it takes to boil the pasta.
And, besides that, I love that you can enjoy this dish either as a main course pasta or as a chilled, olive oil-based pasta salad. (Use a short pasta if you plan on doing this.)
This tuna pasta is a perfect use for any fresh or frozen pesto that you have on hand from your summer basil harvest (what I did here!), but you can also use a purchased pesto. Or, if you’d like to make some from scratch for this dish, check out my homemade basil pesto recipe.
This no-fuss, no-cook pasta sauce is the epitome of a quick weeknight pasta that screams summer but is perfect all year-round. Mix up pasta night and give this easy and flavorful tuna pesto pasta recipe a try. Mangia bene!
More recipe with pesto: Turkey Meatballs with Pesto, Pesto Roasted Potatoes, Pesto Ricotta Pasta (No-Cook Sauce), Baked Tomatoes Provençal, Pesto Tortellini Salad, Pesto Roasted Vegetables, Pasta with Green Beans and Potatoes, Pesto Orzo Salad, Chicken Parm with Pesto
Main Ingredient Notes
Pasta with pesto and tuna is an easy no-cook sauce made up mostly of items you probably already have in your pantry. To make it, we’ll need:
- Tuna in Olive Oil: Use a high-quality canned or jarred tuna packed in olive oil for this dish. The oil that the tuna is packed in is a significant component of the no-cook sauce, so it’s important to pick a good one! Olive-oil packed tuna is sold in cans and jars of varying sizes, but do not worry if the pack size does not line up 100% with the recipe below. A little more or a little less tuna will work fine in this recipe.
- Pesto: Along with the tuna, this dish is all about the pesto! With delicious ingredients like fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan cheese and extra-virgin olive oil, pesto is all you need as the base sauce for this dish. You can use either homemade or store-bought pesto for this recipe, but keep in mind that the quality of the pesto can make or break the dish.
- Lemon: Fresh lemon juice adds bright citrusy flavor and acidity to the rich sauce.
- Black, Oil-Cured Olives and Capers: Add a really great briny, salty tang as well as texture to the dish’s overall flavor which works so well with the tuna.
- Chickpeas: Adds additional protein and heartiness to this Sicilian-inspired pasta. I’m in favor of high-quality canned beans and use them regularly. And this is one dish that works beautifully with canned beans.
- Pasta: I really love this recipe with spaghetti because it’s traditional with tuna and how I grew up eating pasta with tuna. But quite honestly, any long or short shape will work in this recipe.
How to Make Tuna Pasta with Pesto
This might be the easiest pasta recipe here at Mangia With Michele. There’s virtually no chopping involved and the sauce is 100% no-cook. All you have to do is cook the pasta!
- Gather all ingredients. Chop the olives. Drain the capers. Drain and rinse the beans. Squeeze the lemons for juice. Pull the pesto out of the refrigerator and bring it to room temperature about 45 minutes before serving. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Pro-Tip
As this is a no-cook sauce, be sure that all ingredients are at room temperature so as to not bring down the temperature of the pasta drastically.
- Once the water comes to a boil, add salt, then the pasta, stirring frequently.
- Mix the tuna, chickpeas, pesto, olives, capers, lemon juice, black pepper and crushed red pepper together in a large bowl.
- Place the bowl with the tuna pesto mixture near the pasta pot.
- Cook the pasta until al dente, then transfer it to the tuna pesto sauce and mix well.
- If more moisture is needed, add a little pasta water, a couple of tablespoons at a time. That’s it!
Pro-Tip
If the mixture seems a bit juicy, let it sit for a couple minutes to allow the pasta to absorb the additional liquid.
More Summer Pasta Favorites
- Pasta with Sun Gold Tomatoes
- Pasta Sorrentina with Tomatoes, Basil and Fresh Mozzarella
- Ricotta Pasta with Eggplant and Tomatoes
- Vodka Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes
- Pasta with Quick Grape Tomato Sauce
- Pasta alla Checca (No-Cook Tomato Sauce with Ricotta)
- Linguine with Red Clam Sauce
- Pesto Ricotta Pasta (No-Cook Sauce)
- Creamy Zucchini Pasta
- Sicilian Pasta alla Norma
Frequently Asked Questions
Use a high-quality, canned or jarred tuna packed in (extra virgin, if possible) olive oil for this dish. The oil that the tuna is packed in is a significant component of the no-cook sauce, so it’s important to pick a good one! Olive-oil packed tuna is sold in cans and jars of varying sizes, but do not worry if the pack size does not line up 100% with the recipe above. A little more or a little less tuna will work fine in this recipe.
No. While homemade pesto is fabulous (and check out my classic homemade pesto recipe or my more unique pesto with lemon and butter recipe), you can purchase already made basil pesto for this recipe. Just keep in mind that the quality of the pesto can make or break the dish.
No. Pesto is meant to be the most beautiful raw sauce that is perfect simply tossed with hot pasta. Sometimes, though, but rarely, it does get cooked. This roasted potato recipe and this meatball recipe are two examples. But, it can 100% be eaten and enjoyed raw.
Love chickpeas? Check out popular, Italian-American favorite, Pasta with Chickpeas.
Substitutions and Variations
- Other great mix-ins:
- Smashed roasted garlic or garlic confit cloves;
- Halved grape or cherry tomatoes;
- Quartered artichoke hearts;
- Chopped sun-dried tomatoes, and
- Seeded and chopped pickled cherry peppers
- Olives: You can use green olives in place of the black, oil-cured if you prefer. My favorite alternative are Sicilian Castelvetrano olives.
- For more piccante, increase the crushed red pepper or add a bit of Calabrian chili paste. And, of course, don’t forget to drizzle some homemade spicy pepper oil over the finished dish!
TOP TIPS for Tuna Pasta with Pesto
- Tuna: Use a high quality canned or jarred tuna packed in (extra virgin, if possible) olive oil for this dish. The oil that the tuna is packed in is a significant component of the no-cook sauce, so it’s important to pick a good one! Olive-oil packed tuna is sold in cans and jars of varying sizes, but do not worry if the pack size does not line up 100% with the recipe above. A little more or a little less tuna will work fine in this recipe. (You’ll need about 13-14 ounces or so of tuna)
- Room Temperature: As this is a no-cook sauce, be sure that the pesto is at room temperature so as to not bring down the temperature of the pasta drastically. Pull it out of the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes before using.
- Cooking The Pasta: For most of my pasta dishes, I recommend cooking the pasta until about 2 minutes before it is al dente so that it can finish cooking in the sauce. That is not the case with this recipe as the sauce is not cooked. So, when the pasta and sauce are mixed together, the relatively large amount of room temperature ingredients lowers the temperature of the pasta and immediately stops its cooking. Consequently, the pasta should be drained/pulled out of the boiling water at the moment when it is exactly ready (al dente), and then mixed with the other ingredients.
- Serving: Serve this pasta immediately or at room temperature.
- Pair pasta pesto tuna with a green salad and/or some sautéed greens like broccoli rabe or escarole.
- And, if you like things a bit picante, be sure to drizzle some homemade olio santo over it!
- Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Enjoy chilled or at room temperature. You can also heat leftovers and enjoy this dish hot. Freezing is not recommended.
Tuna Pasta with Pesto and Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta , + salt for pasta water (See Notes.)
- 3 (4.5-ounces) cans tuna in olive oil, including the olive oil (See Notes.)
- 1 (15-ounces) can cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed (low sodium, if possible)
- 1 cup pesto, + more for garnish (either homemade or purchased)
- ⅓ cup pitted and rough chopped black, oil-cured olives
- ¼ cup capers, drained
- 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Large pinch freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- To Taste salt
Instructions
- Prep and gather all ingredients according to specifications above. Pull the pesto out of the refrigerator and bring it to room temperature about 45 minutes before serving. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.(Please see the section above in the blog post for Step-By-Step instructions with photos.)1 cup pesto
- Once the water comes to a boil, add salt, then the pasta, stirring frequently.1 pound pasta
- Mix the tuna (and its olive oil), chickpeas, pesto, olives, capers, lemon juice, black pepper and crushed red pepper together in a large bowl. Place this bowl near the pasta pot.3 (4.5-ounces) cans tuna in olive oil, 1 (15-ounces) can cooked chickpeas, 1 cup pesto, ⅓ cup pitted and rough chopped black, oil-cured olives, ¼ cup capers, 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, Large pinch freshly ground black pepper, Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- Cook the pasta until al dente and reserve some of the starchy pasta water. (You may or may not need the pasta water.)NOTE: For most of my pasta dishes, I recommend cooking the pasta until about 2 minutes before it is al dente so that it can finish cooking in the sauce. This is not the case with this recipe as the sauce is no-cook. So, when the pasta and sauce are mixed together, the relatively large amount of room temperature ingredients lowers the temperature of the pasta and immediately stops its cooking. Consequently, the pasta should be drained/pulled out of the boiling water at the moment when it is exactly ready (al dente), and then mixed with the sauce.
- Combine the pasta with the tuna mixture and mix well.
- If more moisture is needed, add a little pasta water, a couple of tablespoons at a time. It the mixture seems a bit juicy, let it sit for a couple minutes to allow the pasta to absorb the additional liquid. That’s it!
- Serve pasta immediately with a few dabs of additional pesto. Buon Appetito!
Video
Notes
- The recipe time assumes that you are starting with already made pesto.
- Tuna: Use a high quality canned or jarred tuna packed in (extra virgin, if possible) olive oil for this dish. The oil that the tuna is packed in is a significant component of the no-cook sauce, so it’s important to pick a good one! Olive-oil packed tuna is sold in cans and jars of varying sizes, but do not worry if the pack size does not line up 100% with the recipe above. A little more or a little less tuna will work fine in this recipe. (You’ll need about 13-14 ounces or so of tuna)
- Pesto: You can use either homemade or store-bought pesto for this recipe, but keep in mind that the quality of the pesto can make or break the dish. I have both a classic Genovese pesto recipe and a more unique pesto recipe with lemon and butter here on my website. Both of these pestos would work great here.
- Room Temperature: As this is a no-cook sauce, be sure that the pesto is at room temperature so as to not bring down the temperature of the pasta drastically. Pull it out of the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes before using.
- Pasta: I really love this recipe with spaghetti because it’s traditional with tuna and how I grew up eating this dish. But quite honestly, any long or short shape will work in this recipe.
- Cooking The Pasta: For most of my pasta dishes, I recommend cooking the pasta until about 2 minutes before it is al dente so that it can finish cooking in the sauce. This is not the case with this recipe as the sauce is not cooked. So, when the pasta and sauce are mixed together, the relatively large amount of room temperature ingredients lowers the temperature of the pasta and immediately stops its cooking. Consequently, the pasta should be drained/pulled out of the boiling water at the moment when it is exactly ready (al dente), and then mixed with the other ingredients.
- Serving: Serve this pasta immediately or at room temperature.
- Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Enjoy chilled or at room temperature. You can also heat leftovers and enjoy this dish hot. Freezing is not recommended.
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Soooooo 😋
OMG! Soooo delicious and so easy! Unexpected visitors for dinner, knocked this up and not a morsel left. 10/10😋😋😋
So happy that you and your guests enjoyed this tuna pasta, Shell! I love it too! Thanks for your comment. 🙂
This recipe is SOOOOO much more than the sum of its parts. I hope you agree!