This easy tuna pesto pasta recipe with burst cherry tomatoes, spinach, and garlic is a weeknight meal you'll love. Ready in under 30 minutes, this dish is great for busy nights when you need something quick and tasty!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Tuna and pesto pasta combines comforting noodles with oil-packed, flaked tuna, sautéed garlic, sweet burst cherry tomatoes, savory basil pesto, and earthy spinach for a delicious and quick meal.
It's a great option for a weeknight dinner for the whole family or a workweek lunch.
Made mostly with pantry staples, this pasta is so simple, yet so full of flavor.
The recipe is adaptable. Use any pasta shape you'd like, swap the tuna for salmon, throw in arugula in place of spinach, add some grated parmesan cheese--make this recipe however you like it best with the ingredients you have on hand.
Plus, the leftovers are delicious. They're great for lunches or meal prep! You can also try it cold for a wonderful pesto pasta salad.
If you're looking for more easy pasta recipes, this pasta with broccoli is another delicious option.
What You'll Need
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- Oil-Packed Tuna You'll need two cans of tuna. Tuna packed in olive oil is my recommendation for this dish. However, you can use canned tuna packed in water if you'd like.
- Pesto Use store-bought pesto or prepare some homemade pesto.
- Pasta I prefer a short shape here, like fusilli, rotini, or penne. If needed, feel free to use gluten-free pasta.
- Olive Oil Any extra virgin olive oil will work well for this recipe. There is no need to use a special quality of oil, though a good-quality olive oil is always a treat.
- Cherry Tomatoes I love to use cherry tomatoes for their sweetness. Grape tomatoes are another good option. If you'd like, you could also try sun-dried tomatoes.
- Spinach I recommend baby spinach. If you are using regular spinach, you may want to chop it into bite-sized pieces before adding it to the dish.
- Garlic If you don't have fresh garlic, you can use some jarred minced garlic in its place.
- Kosher Salt I like to use kosher salt because it is less salty by volume than table salt or sea salt, making it easier to season your food as you go.
- Black Pepper Optional. If you'd like, feel free to add some freshly ground black pepper.
Recommended Equipment
How to Make Pesto Tuna Pasta
Step One Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente. I typically recommend cooking one minute less than package directions.
Step Two Meanwhile, heat a pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and once it is shimmering, add the garlic. Saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Step Three Add the cherry tomatoes to the pan and pierce with a paring knife. Season the tomatoes with a bit of salt. As the tomatoes soften, use the back of a wooden spoon to gently crush the tomatoes.
Step Four Add in the pesto sauce. Stir well and taste for seasoning.
Step Five Add the spinach and tuna to the pan with the cherry tomatoes, garlic, and pesto. Stir to combine.
Step Six Once the pasta has finished cooking, reserve a cup of the pasta water. Drain pasta. Add the cooked pasta to the tomato, pesto, and spinach mixture and stir well to combine. If the pasta seems dry, stir a little of the pasta water to help loosen the pesto. Serve right away!
Variations & Substitutions
- Swap the tuna for salmon, chicken, chickpeas, or white beans.
- You can use arugula in place of the spinach.
- Make your own homemade basil pesto. This almond pesto is a delicious twist on traditional pesto.
- Try different pasta shapes to see what you like best!
How to Store
Fridge Leftover pesto pasta with tuna will last for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Be sure to store in an airtight container.
Freezer I do not recommend freezing this dish.
Reheating It's easiest to reheat this dish in the microwave, or you can eat it as a cold tuna pesto pasta salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can add a bit of fresh lemon juice to your pesto to revive its green color.
This recipe has 520 calories per serving. A full recipe serves 6. Check the recipe card below for full nutritional information.
Absolutely! This tuna pasta makes a fantastic cold pasta salad. Try adding some olives or artichoke hearts to the cold dish for a real pasta salad feel.
How to Serve
This pasta can definitely be a meal on its own. Here are some ideas for dishes you can serve alongside.
Try a side salad with lemon herb vinaigrette or this tasty honey lime jalapeño vinaigrette
Some roasted vegetables as a side or added to the dish would be lovely. These spicy roasted vegetables and this roasted broccoilni are favorites.
If you love a little bread with your pasta, how about some air fryer crostini?
Expert Tips
- I recommend cooking dry pasta 1 minute less than the recommended cook times for al dente pasta. For example, if the box directions say to cook for 9 to 10 minutes, I'll cook for 8 minutes.
- Try adding some fresh basil to your finished dish for a bit of extra freshness!
- Adding a bit of starchy pasta water to a sauce can either help loosen a sauce that is too thick and, or help a sauce adhere to the pasta.
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment 💬 and a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! You can also tag us @twocloveskitchen on Instagram or follow us on Facebook!
More Recipes to Try
Looking for more pasta dishes for busy weeknights? Try these recipes!
📖 Recipe
Tuna Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound rotini or other short shape, like fusilli or penne
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 6 ounces pesto store-bought, or try this homemade Almond Pesto
- 10 ounces oil-packed tuna from 2 cans
- 5 ounces fresh baby spinach about half of a regular bag
- kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente.
- Meanwhile, heat a pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and once it is shimmering, add the garlic. Saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Add the cherry tomatoes to the pan and pierce with a paring knife. Season the tomatoes with a bit of salt. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, using the back of a wooden spoon to lightly crush the tomatoes as they soften.
- Add in the pesto. Stir well and taste for seasoning.
- Add the spinach and tuna to the pan with the cherry tomatoes, garlic, and pesto. Stir to combine.
- Once the pasta has finished cooking, reserve a cup of the pasta water and drain. Add the cooked pasta to the tomato, pesto, and spinach mixture and stir well to combine. If the pasta seems dry, stir a little of the pasta water.
- Taste for seasoning and serve!
Notes
- I recommend cooking dry pasta to 1 minute below the lower recommended cook time for al dente pasta. For example, if the box directions say cook for 9 to 10 minutes, I'll cook for 8 minutes.
- Adding a bit of starchy pasta water to a sauce can either help loosen a sauce that is too thick and, or help a sauce adhere to the pasta.
- You can use water-packed tuna if you'd prefer. Oil-packed tuna has a bit more flavor.
- Fridge Leftover pesto pasta with tuna will last for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Be sure to store in an airtight container.
- Freezer I do not recommend freezing this dish.
- Reheating It's easiest to reheat this dish in the microwave, or you can eat it as a cold tuna pesto pasta salad.
Leandra says
Do you also add the oil from the tuna can to the dish?
Genevieve says
Hi Leandra, that's a great question! I would strain the oil as there is already olive oil and pesto, which contains more oil, in the recipe.
Jill says
Quick and easy to make! Also I usually have all these items on hand. I sautéed onion first. Cut the tomatoes in half and did not cook nearly as long as stated. Added some red pepper flakes. Yum!
Genevieve says
So glad you enjoyed this, Jill!
Jelly says
Cooked the pasta for 1 minute less than box directions as recommended and it gave me the al dente texture proposed in this guide. The burst cherry tomatoes added nice sweetness to the dish. This recipe is simple yet absolutely delicious!
Genevieve says
Glad to hear it! Thanks Jelly!
Cleo says
Made this last night and so happy I did! It was really easy to make but delivered lots of flavors. Very refreshing. Will make this again for sure!
Genevieve says
Yay! Thanks Cleo!
Rhian says
Made this for dinner last night but I made sure to prepare a big batch so we can still have some for breakfast. I just tested how the leftover reheats and popped it in the microwave, and it still tasted really good. Even the cold leftovers are amazing!
Genevieve says
I'm glad to hear it! Thanks Rhian!
Alex says
Didn't have cherry tomatoes on hand, so I used sun-dried tomatoes instead. It added a nice tanginess to the pasta. I also added a sprinkle of red pepper flakes for a little kick and it took the flavor up a notch. Highly recommend!
Genevieve says
Sounds wonderful! Thanks, Alex!
Glenda says
This pasta saved a busy weeknight! We were all headed in different directions and time was at a premium.
I put this easy and delicious pasta supper together in minutes! Thnks so much for the great recipe. We love it!
Genevieve says
Thank you so much, Glenda! I'm so glad your family enjoyed it.
Jake says
Always looking for fun pasta dishes like this, and pesto and tuna were the perfect combination! Made this last night using your recipe and it came out great. Also, your tip for adding fresh basil was key!! Thank you so much (-:
Genevieve says
Wonderful! Thanks so much, Jake!
Traci says
Spot on recipe and absolutely delicious! Really enjoyed the combination of the tuna and pesto together! So good!!
Genevieve says
Yay! Thanks Traci!
Heidi says
I'm always looking for a good pasta salad as it's one of my favorites. This one did not disappoint! It was full of flavor, for sure!
Genevieve says
I'm glad to hear it! This one is great cold for sure.
Addison says
This was such a great lunch to meal prep for work! Loads of flavor but super easy to make!
Genevieve says
Thanks Addison! I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
Greta says
I loved this dish. It easy to make and so fulfilling. My family approved it too. My favorite pesto os also made with almonds.Big love!
Genevieve says
Wonderful! Thanks so much, Greta!
Sharina says
Tuna pesto pasta is my favorite and this recipe is a must! It was so good and I love the addition of cherry tomatoes in it.
Genevieve says
Thank you! Love those cherry tomatoes, too. 🙂