What we love about this tuna spaghetti
- If you love seafood pasta, you will love this tuna pasta recipe. The tuna really stands out against the briney olives and capers and that extra pop of lemon flavor adds so much to this simple meal.
- It’s a weeknight favorite of ours thanks to the minimal effort needed to make this recipe. Plus, it’s made with ingredients you already keep in your cabinets so you can throw it together anytime.
- It’s filling and satisfying – with added protein from the tuna and a nice serving of carbs. Just serve it with a salad for a perfectly balanced meal.
Here’s what you’ll need to make it
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Ingredients you might need to pick up
- Lemons
- Spaghetti
- Green olives – I like to use castelvetrano olives for this, but regular green olives, or even Kalamata olives will work. Just make sure they’re brined and not stored in water like black olives are.
- Green onions – Chives would be a good substitute for this, but we usually have some green onion in our fridge from other meals. Regular yellowor sweet onion would work in a pinch, too.
- Capers
- Fresh parsley – Totally optional, but fresh is always best when it comes to parsley. It’s relatively cheap and makes such a difference.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
How to make this tuna pasta recipe
Cook the pasta. In a large pot of salted water, cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve at least ½ cup of pasta water, drain and set aside.
Make the sauce. Heat olive oil over medium heat, adding garlic when it is hot. Simmer garlic until aromatic then add green onions, green olives, capers, lemon zest and juice. Stir in tuna and allow it to simmer for 2-3 minutes, adding pasta water slowly as needed to create more sauce.
Stir it all together. Return the pasta to the pot and stir until the pasta is well coated with sauce and tuna mixture is distributed throughout. Serve with grated pecorino romano or parmesan cheese and an extra sprinkle of fresh herbs (if you have them).
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Tuna Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 8 ounces spaghetti
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 1/4 cup pitted green olives (castelvetrano, chopped)
- 1 green onion (thinly sliced (maybe 2?))
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 8- ounce can tuna
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions for al dente. Before draining, reserve at least ½ cup of pasta water. Drain spaghetti and set aside.
- In the same pot, heat olive oil over medium. When hot, add garlic and sauté until fragrant. Next, add green onions, green olives, capers, lemon zest and juice and simmer until tender. Stir in tuna and allow it to simmer for 2-3 minutes, adding pasta water slowly as needed to create a sauce.
- Return the cooked pasta to the pot and stir to combine.
- Garnish and serve with grated cheese.
Nutrition
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