Tuna Tomato Pasta
Tuna Tomato Pasta is the perfect solution for busy nights. Learn how to create a delicious meal with pantry staples.
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❤️ Why we love this recipe
There are days that dinner stumps me. Even with my towering pile of notes and recipes for things I want to make one day, even on days when I have something all planned out but then I realize I’ve forgotten that one crucial ingredient…there are just Those Days.
And that’s why I always have a good supply of tuna fish in my pantry, because even on Those Days, tuna never, ever lets you down.
And while I am perfectly cool with serving the Southern husband a perfectly nice tuna salad for dinner, sometimes I whip up this ridiculously easy tuna pasta with tomatoes and capers and crispy bread crumbs, and once again I remember the happiness of tuna in the pantry.
Now, there is one non-negotiable point about this dish, and that is that you are going to have to get tuna packed in oil…you want the rich flavor that comes with bold and delicious oil-packed tuna.
You can drain most of it off, don’t worry, and the flavor is like night and day. The canned version is just fine, but if your supermarket carries the fancy tuna in a jar, it’s worth going for it now and then – it’s a little expensive but as they say, you’re worth it!!
🍅 Ingredients you need
📝 Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Tuna: Please please PLEASE trust me when I say, oil-packed tuna is the way to go with this recipe. I promise you can use water-packed tuna most other times, but this recipe needs the punch of that silky, tasty olive oil.
- Pasta: We like linguine with this recipe, but you can use any kind you have on hand.
- Capers: Look for these salty little pickled dark green buds in the condiments section of your grocery store.
- Parmesan Cheese: Freshly grated is the best for this dish!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
👩🏻🍳 How to make this recipe
STEP 1: Begin by making some fresh breadcrumbs. Take a piece or two of bread, tear it into a few pieces and then whirl it into breadcrumbs in your food processor.
STEP 2: Heat some olive oil oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat and add those fresh breadcrumbs with a pinch of salt and a little pepper. Stir them until they are golden and crispy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Scoop them out and set them aside.
STEP 3 : Cook your pasta according to package directions in heavily salted water. Scoop out one cup of water and set it aside before you drain the pasta.
STEP 4: While the pasta is cooking, heat a little more olive oil in the skillet over medium high heat. Add some cherry tomato halves and cook until they are just softened, about five minutes.
STEP 5: Add some Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of that reserved pasta water to the skillet and give it all a good stir. Add your cooked pasta, some capers, and some drained and crumbled tuna. Give it all a hearty toss.
STEP 6: Divide your glorious tuna pasta mixture between plates and top with the toasted breadcrumbs and a drizzle of fresh lemon juice.
🤔 Recipe FAQs
When pasta cooks, it releases starch into the water (that is what makes it a little cloudy). And since hopefully you have thoroughly salted your water, at the end of the pasta cooking time you have a starchy, salty water that is ABSOLUTELY PERFECT for making or loosening up a light pasta sauce. It’s truly magical.
I mean, you CAN, but you want the texture and flavor of that olive oil. If you only have water-packed tuna on hand, add a tablespoon or so of olive oil when you add the tuna.
Nope, this one needs to be made right before you serve it so that the flavors are fresh. But happily it only takes about 30 minutes!
Pop your question in the Comments section under the recipe card and I will answer pronto!
🥣 Equipment we used for this recipe
These are some of my favorite kitchen tools! These are Amazon affiliate links, which means I get a little something if you buy through my links at no extra cost to you. (Which helps pay for all that bacon I keep buying! 😄) And I only share things I use and love. I’m so grateful for your support!
- Measuring Cup: We love these angled cups that show the measurements on both the inside and outside of the cup.
- Measuring Spoons: These handy magnetic spoons are not on a ring, so you can just pick the one you need.
- Cutting Board: These sturdy, dishwasher-safe cutting boards come in all different sizes.
- Citrus Juicer: We love this handy juicer that catches every single seed.
- Food Processor: This all-star kitchen appliance is one of the very few that gets to live on our countertop 24/7.
- Food Scale: We use this for measuring everything from pasta to meat to flour.
- Large Pot: We have a lot of these but this is our fave!
- Large Skillet: We have a few of these in our cupboard but this is one of our faves.
- Strainer: This classic version is just right for these potatoes and your favorite pasta recipe (one of ours is pasta with egg sauce!)
- Tongs: We have this essential kitchen tool in all sizes from short to extra long.
🍽️ What to serve with this recipe
We love an extra veggie or two with this seafood pasta. Roasted asparagus, roasted green beans or a side of sweet carrots are all great.
And for dessert, let’s have some apple cake!
😍 Other tuna recipes we love!
⭐️ We want to know what you think!
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section below the recipe card.
Tuna Tomato Pasta
Tuna Tomato Pasta is the perfect solution for busy nights. Learn how to create a delicious meal with pantry staples.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 good-sized servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 slice fresh bread
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and fresh ground pepper
- 4 ounces spaghetti or linguine
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- 1/8 cup capers (or more if you like capers!)
- 1 seven ounce can or jar of oil-packed tuna, drained and lightly crumbled (you want some good size pieces)
- Juice from 1/2 lemon
Instructions
- Make bread crumbs by whirling a slice of bread on your food processor until it is in crumbs.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add fresh crumbs with a pinch of salt and a couple grindings of fresh pepper. Stir until golden and crispy, about 3-5 minutes. Set aside.
- Cook pasta according to package directions in salted water. Reserve 1 cup of water and drain.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat the remaining oil in the bread crumb skillet over medium high heat. Add cherry tomato halves and cook another 5 minutes or so until softened.
- Add cheese and stir, and then drizzle in just enough pasta water to form a light sauce (you might not need all of it). Add pasta, capers and tuna and toss until everything is combined and heated through.
- Divide pasta among plates, drizzle with fresh lemon juice, garnish with bread crumbs and serve.
Notes
- Tuna: Please please PLEASE trust me when I say, oil-packed tuna is the way to go with this recipe. I promise you can use water-packed tuna most other times, but this recipe needs the punch of that silky, tasty olive oil.
- Pasta: We like linguine with this recipe, but you can use any kind you have on hand.
- Capers: Look for these salty little pickled dark green buds in the condiments section of your grocery store.
- Parmesan Cheese: Freshly grated is the best for this dish!