Italian
Pantry Tuna Pasta
Spaghetti tossed with garlic, olive oil, canned tuna, chili, lemon, and parsley. A pantry dinner that still tastes bright.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 20 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- The tuna goes in at the end so it stays in pieces.
- Lemon and chili do more than cream would.
- It uses two cans and a box of pasta.
- Pasta water makes the oil cling.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Cook the spaghetti in salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water. Drain.
- 2
Meanwhile, warm the oil, garlic, and pepper flakes in a skillet over medium until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Do not brown it hard.
- 3
Add the tomatoes and salt. Cook 3 minutes.
- 4
Add the tuna and break it into large flakes. Warm 1 minute.
- 5
Toss with the spaghetti, lemon juice, and enough pasta water to make a light sauce.
- 6
Finish with parsley and taste for salt.
Pro tips
- Oil-packed tuna tastes richer. Water-packed is fine if you keep the olive oil in the pan.
- High heat on the garlic is how this turns bitter.
- Save pasta water before you drain. You cannot get it back.
Easy substitutions
- Spaghetti
- Linguine.
- Parsley
- A teaspoon of dried oregano with the tomatoes.
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate up to 2 days.
Reheating
Warm in a skillet with a splash of water. Tuna dries out if you boil it.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 480
- Protein
- 28 g
- Carbs
- 62 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
Budget friendly · Stovetop
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From the kitchen
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A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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