A healthy canned tuna pasta recipe that’s made in under 20 minutes. This albacore tuna recipe is delicious served hot or cold. Gluten-free.
This pasta is a quick & easy recipe for busy nights when you don’t have time to spend hours in the kitchen. I promise that you can make this recipe from start to finish in less than 20 minutes.
If you haven’t cooked with tuna before, this is a great beginner recipe. I personally love to add tuna to my meals because of the health benefits & flavor. Tuna is packed with Omega-3s, vitamins & minerals and offers a delicious flavor. You can usually always find a can of tuna in my pantry!
HOW IMPORTANT ARE OMEGA-3s?
Omega-3s are essential fatty acids, which means that our bodies CANNOT make these fatty acids and we NEED to find ways to add these fatty acids to our diet by food or supplements. Eating tuna is a great & affordable way to add Omega-3s into the diet to meet recommendations. Tuna offers both eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are two essential Omega-3 fatty acids that provide heart-healthy benefits.
HOW TO MAKE
- In a large skillet over medium heat, sautéed olive oil, and garlic. Cook 1 minute.
- Add roasted red peppers, and season with salt and pepper.
- Stir in tuna.
- Add linguine and reserved cooking water.
- Add parmesan cheese.
- Toss the pasta until well blended and serve.
Start by heating olive oil in a pan. Once hot, add garlic and cook for ~ 1 minute.
After that, add the roasted red peppers. I highly recommend saving yourself time & buying jarred roasted red peppers. However, this How To Roast Red Peppers recipe will take you through the steps if you want to roast your own.
Next, add the canned tuna.
To continue with the recipe, add cooked linguine noodles and 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water.
Then, add the parmesan cheese. The parmesan will mix with the starchy pasta water to create a creamy sauce.
Lastly, stir together. This is also the perfect time to add other ingredients to put a twist on this recipe.
Here are a few options that I have added in the past:
- Sautéed onions
- Kale
- Red pepper flakes
- Green onions
- Spinach
- Broccoli florets
I make my Tuna Pasta all year because it is always a big hit. During the winter months, I serve this dish warm – my kids love to make a large bowl and add a scoop of parmesan cheese to the top. In the summer, I will serve this recipe as a cold dish.
HOW DO I KNOW WHAT CANNED TUNA TO BUY?
There can be a variety of tuna cans at the grocery store and to be honest I didn’t know which one to buy the first time I went down the aisle. Knowing the difference between the most common labels can help you decide!
White Tuna – Albacore is the only fish species that can be labeled “White Tuna”. I typically buy albacore tuna because my kids like the flavor the best and usually tell me that it tastes like chicken.
Light Tuna – When a can is labeled “light tuna” it is typically Skipjack or Yellowfin tuna. The meat is usually darker in color and has a softer texture than white tuna.
GROCERY STORE TIP: I look for tuna cans without dents, bulging or discoloration to avoid buying a compromised can.
More Canned Tuna Recipes
Canned Salmon Recipes
More pasta recipes
CKC Features both Gluten-Free Guidance and Kids Cooking Instructions: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten or cross-contamination.
The ⭐️ symbol in the recipe below denotes the steps in which kid cooks may need a helper (depending on age). If there is no ⭐️ symbol, that step (or recipe) doesn’t require a helper.
Canned Tuna Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 6 ounce cans oil packed tuna ✅
- 8 ounce gluten-free linguine, cooked per package instructions – reserving 1/2 cup cooking water
- 1/2 cup jarred roasted red peppers, chopped ✅
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese ✅
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- ⭐️ Saute garlic. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute olive oil and garlic. Cook 1 minute.
- ⭐️ Add in peppers, tuna, and pasta. Add roasted red peppers, season with salt and pepper. Stir in tuna. Add linguine and reserved cooking water. Add parmesan cheese. Toss the pasta until well blended.
- Serve. Serve hot or cold.
Notes
Nutrition
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Betsy says
Could I use tuna packed in water instead?
Create Kids Club says
Hi Betsy! Yes, you can certainly use tuna packed in water. I think that the flavor of the oil-packed tuna compliments this dish, but the other variety would work well too!