This tuna tomato pasta combines spaghetti, oil-packed canned tuna, cherry tomatoes, green olives, and capers in a tangy garlic tomato passata. It is ready in 20 minutes, making it a practical pantry dinner with Mediterranean character.
Why You'll Love This Tuna Tomato Pasta
- Creamy without cream: The tangy sauce coats the spaghetti smoothly without relying on cream or another dairy ingredient.
- Tuna stays chunky: Adding the tuna at the end keeps distinct pieces throughout the finished pasta.
- Layered Mediterranean flavor: Olives, capers, garlic, chili flakes, and parsley balance the tomato passata without requiring a long simmer.
I make this tuna tomato pasta when I need a quick pantry dinner with Mediterranean character. Canned tuna, pasta, and tomato passata are ingredients I can keep ready without planning ahead. It feels more substantial than my Mediterranean tuna salad, while remaining just as practical. The olives and capers bring the familiar salty flavors I associate with Mediterranean cooking. That combination makes this a useful dinner when time is short.
I like how the tuna stays noticeable against the tangy tomato passata, olives, and capers. The sauce coats the spaghetti smoothly and tastes creamy without containing any cream. I add the tuna last, so the chunks keep their shape instead of disappearing into the sauce. This creates more texture than mixing it throughout the pasta from the beginning. That tuna-and-tomato balance also appears in my Spanish tuna salad, although this pasta feels warmer and more filling.
Key Ingredients in Tuna Tomato Pasta
These ingredients give the pasta its tangy, savory Mediterranean character.
- Canned tuna chunks: I use tuna chunks in oil because their flavor remains noticeable, and adding them last helps preserve their shape.
- Tomatoes: For me, tomato passata creates the coating while halved cherry tomatoes add distinct pieces of tomato throughout the spaghetti.
- Olives and capers: I combine whole green olives with capers for salty, tangy flavor in different textures.
- Garlic, chili, and parsley: I keep the garlic in removable halves, while chili flakes and parsley complete the sauce.
How to Make Tuna Tomato Pasta
Prepare the sauce while the spaghetti cooks so everything is ready within 20 minutes. You can find the complete printable baked pineapple chicken thighs recipe with measurements below.
1. Cook the spaghetti: Boil the spaghetti in salted water according to the package instructions. Reserve some cooking water before draining.
2. Infuse the olive oil: Heat the olive oil, then cook the chili flakes and halved garlic for one minute.
3. Build the tomato passata: Cook the red onion and cherry tomatoes before adding the tomato passata, capers, and whole olives.
4. Finish with tuna: Toss in the spaghetti with pasta water as needed, then gently add the tuna and parsley. Remove the garlic before serving.
Tips for Tuna Tomato Pasta
- Prepare everything first: Chop the onion, tomatoes, and parsley before heating the oil because the sauce comes together rapidly.
- Coordinate the pasta and sauce: Begin the sauce while the spaghetti cooks so both components finish within the stated 20-minute total time.
Storage
I refrigerate any leftover tuna tomato pasta and reheat it in the microwave before serving.
What to Serve with Tuna Tomato Pasta
I serve this pasta with air fryer garlic bread when I want something crisp for the sauce. For a cooler, lighter contrast, I add a cucumber avocado feta salad.
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Recipe
Tuna Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
- 250 g spaghetti
- 1 tablespoon salt - for the pasta water
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon dried chili flakes
- 2 garlic cloves - halved crosswise
- ½ medium red onion - finely chopped
- 6 cherry tomatoes - halved crosswise
- 100 g tomato passata
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 2 tablespoons whole pitted green olives
- 280 g canned tuna chunks in oil - drained
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley - finely chopped
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon salt. Add 250 g spaghetti and cook according to the package instructions. Before draining, reserve some pasta cooking water, then drain the spaghetti.
- While the pasta cooks, heat 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in a saucepan. Add ¼ teaspoon dried chili flakes and 2 garlic cloves, halved crosswise. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add ½ medium red onion, finely chopped, and 6 cherry tomatoes, halved crosswise. Cook for 3 minutes. Stir in 100 g tomato passata, ¼ teaspoon salt, and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add 1 tablespoon capers and 2 tablespoons whole pitted green olives. Cook for 1 minute. Add the drained spaghetti, using a little reserved pasta cooking water if needed to loosen the sauce. Toss and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add drained 280 g canned tuna chunks in oil and 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped. Gently toss the tuna tomato pasta, and cook for 2 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
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