Quick and Easy Tuna Pesto Pasta
on Sep 22, 2020, Updated Mar 21, 2025
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This Quick and Easy Tuna Pesto Pasta is a great prep-ahead meal and can be made in under 20 minutes! It combines a homemade herb-filled pesto and tossed with canned albacore tuna. Tuna is a delicious pairing with pasta, and packs a ton of protein!
If you’re looking for more pasta recipes, be sure to check out Spicy Sausage Cherry Tomato Pasta or Pasta with White Wine and Mussels.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This tuna pasta recipe is a simple and delicious recipe to make to prep ahead for lunch, or when you want a quick dinner.
- Vibrant: The combination of basil, spinach, and cilantro creates a bright and vibrant pesto.
- Nutritious: Packed with greens, and the protein from the tuna, you are getting all your needs met with this one!
- Versatile: The pesto can be saved and used for other dishes, such as salads or sandwiches.
- Great for Prep: You can go ahead and prep this ahead of time, and eat cold when you’re ready.
Recipe Ingredients
Below are the ingredients you need to make this recipe, including all our tips and substitutions.
Pesto: The pesto is made with a blend of extra-virgin olive oil, basil, spinach, cilantro, parmesan cheese, pine nuts, garlic, fresh lemon juice, and zest, all finished with salt and pepper.
Tuna: We are using canned albacore tuna in olive oil, but you can use any canned fish you prefer.
Pasta: For this recipe, we love using shells. Their shape is ideal for capturing all the pesto sauce and tuna!
The full list of ingredients with exact quantities can be found on the recipe card below.
Tips and Substitutions
- Herb Variations: Experiment with other herbs such as fresh mint or parsley.
- If you don’t want to include pine nuts, you can substitute with walnuts or almonds. You can also omit the nuts if you want this nut-free.
- Cheese options: Opt to use pecorino romano, or parmesan to finish off this pasta.
How to Make Tuna Pesto Pasta
Step 1: In a blender, add all your pesto ingredients! Blend up the olive oil, basil, spinach, cilantro, parm, pine nuts, garlic, lemon zest, zest, and salt and pepper. Set aside.
Step 2: Next, open and strain out excess oil from the tuna can, but leave a little bit of the liquid for more flavor and texture. Pour in a bowl and flake, do not mash. Set aside.
Step 3: Cook your pasta according to the package instructions. Strain and add in a mixing bowl, allowing extra pasta water to transfer, this will help bind the sauce.
Step 4: Add over your mixed herb pesto, flakey tuna, and more parmesan, season with salt and pepper, and serve!
The full detailed instructions can be found on the recipe card below.
Serving Recommendations
Looking for some ideas to serve this Tuna Pasta with Pesto recipe? We have you covered!
- Serve alongside some Salads: Roasted Beet Salad with Labneh or Endive Caesar Salad with Harissa Breadcrumbs.
- If you want an Entree served with this as a side dish, serve it alongside Garlic Lemon Butter Seared Scallops.
Tuna Pesto Pasta FAQs
Yes, you can use chickpeas as a delicious tuna sub.
Yes, tuna and pesto go so well together! They balance each other out in a great way and make for a really good dish. You can eat tuna and pesto pasta together in a warm form, or it can be served cold as a pasta salad.
More Pasta Recipes
If you do make this Tuna Pesto Pasta recipe, leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, we would love to hear what you think! Don’t forget to tag us on Instagram, we love to see what you’re making! If you’d like to stay in touch and get the latest in your inbox, sign up for our Newsletter. We can also be found on YouTube, Facebook, and Pinterest!
Quick and Easy Tuna Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 cups basil
- 2 cups spinach
- ½ cup cilantro
- 1/4 cup shredded parmesan
- ½ cup pine nuts
- 2 garlic cloves
- Juice of 1 lemon
- ½ of lemon zest
- 1 pound pasta shells
- 1-2 tablespoons pasta water, as needed
- 2 5 ounce albacore tuna in oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a blender, add all your pesto ingredients! Blend up the olive oil, basil, spinach, cilantro, parm, pine nuts, garlic, lemon zest, zest and salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Next, open and strain out excess oil from the tuna can – but leave a little bit of the liquid for more flavor and texture. Pour in a bowl and flake, do not mash. Set aside.
- Cook your pasta according to the package instructions. Strain and add in a mixing bowl, allowing extra pasta water to transfer as well (this helps bind the sauce).. Add over your mixed herb pesto, flakey tuna, more parmesan, season with salt and pepper and serve!
Notes
- Herb Variations: Experiment with other herbs such as fresh mint or parsley.
- If you don’t want to include pine nuts, you can substitute with walnuts or almonds. You can also omit the nuts if you want this nut-free.
- Cheese options: Opt to use pecorino romano, or parmesan to finish off this pasta.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Two 12 oz cans seems like a typo?
Thanks for letting us know! We’ve just updated- two 5 oz cans!
A deicious tuna pesto pasta that takes less than 20 minutes! It’s so delicious!