My Creamy Tuna Pasta is easy to make and is packed with flavour. Chunks of tinned tuna are bathed in a flavour-filled creamy garlic sauce, highlighted by the tang of lemon and the slightly anise freshness of dill. Tossed with pasta, it is a family friendly meal using simple ingredients and is so quick to prepare that you can have it on the table in less than 30 minutes. So good!
I love how creamy and delicious this pasta is. The tuna is the perfect protein addition without making this a heavy pasta dish.
- Maria
Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- It has a classic combination of flavours. Dill, lemon juice and zest are great companions to tuna.
- There’s something about a warm bowl of pasta that is comforting and extremely satisfying.
- It is the perfect dish for a busy weeknight family meal, but sufficiently elegant to serve when entertaining.
- By using the appropriate pasta, you can have a gluten-free meal.
- When you need an easily prepared meal, a pasta dish, such as this Creamy Tuna Pasta or my Creamy Prawn Linguine are always great options.
Recipe Inspiration: this is another way to enjoy one of my favourite store cupboard ingredients. With tinned tuna in the cupboard, an easy meal, such as my Tuna and Potato Patties or Tuna Pasta Salad is not far away.
Ingredients and Substitutions:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
- Dried linguine pasta – this is a long, flat pasta and is ideal with this creamy fish sauce.
- Butter – helps emulsify the sauce.
- Spring onions – add gentle onion flavour.
- Garlic – we prefer to use fresh garlic cloves.
- Lemon juice and zest – add bright citrus flavour and acidity to balance the creaminess.
- Thickened/whipping cream - has a minimum milk fat content of 35%.
- Fresh dill – a great companion to tuna.
- Parsley – for the best flavour, we choose Italian flat leaf parsley.
- Tinned tuna – I have used tuna in spring water, drained well. You can use tuna in oil if you prefer, smoked tuna or even cooked fresh tuna.
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper – add to your taste.
Variations:
Pasta – instead of linguine, you could use spaghetti or another pasta of your choice.
Spice – add some dried chilli flakes or a dash of cayenne.
Sun dried tomatoes or baby spinach – would be a great addition.
Dill – if you prefer, you could add finely chopped chives or additional parsley.
How To Make Creamy Tuna Pasta:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
1 – Start preparing the sauce:
This Creamy Tuna Pasta comes together quickly, so it is important to have all your ingredients prepared before starting. While you are preparing your sauce, cook your pasta in salted boiling water.
In a frying pan, on medium heat, melt the butter and add the spring onions and cook for 3 – 5 minutes, then add your finely chopped garlic. Stir for 1-2 minutes, being careful to not let the garlic burn.
2 – Add in the cream:
Add the cream, dill, parsley, lemon juice, zest and season with salt and pepper.
3 – Add in the tuna:
Add the tuna and stir to combine.
4 – Add the pasta to the sauce:
Once the pasta is al dente, remove a cup of the pasta water and set aside. Drain the pasta and add to the sauce and stir to mix well. Add a little pasta water as needed, until you get the desired consistency. Serve immediately, sprinkled with a little finely chopped parsley or dill.
Hint: the cooking time on the pasta packet will vary from brand to brand and should only be used as a guide.
Tips for Success, Storage and FAQs:
The Creamy Tuna Pasta is at its best served immediately it is cooked.
Store the pasta in an airtight container for up to 3 days. To reheat, warm gently in a microwave or a pan on the stovetop and add a little cream or milk if necessary. I do not recommend freezing leftovers; the creamy sauce may separate on reheating.
For this recipe, we have used good quality tuna packed in spring water. You could use tuna packed in oil or fresh cooked tuna if you prefer.
If you would prefer to leave the cream out, that is fine – I would then also omit the butter and use olive oil instead. You may like to add some capers and black olives as well.
Pasta that is al dente is “firm to the bite” – this is the desired texture for pasta.
Top Tip:
When cooking pasta, I recommend that you always set aside some pasta water. If you need to use it to thin the sauce, the starchiness of the water helps make the sauce deliciously creamy.
Serving Suggestions:
This Creamy Tuna Pasta is ideal for any special occasion, but so easy it’s also perfect for busy weeknights. It is a complete meal, but works well with some crusty bread or alongside a fresh salad, such as our:
I hope you’ll enjoy this Creamy Tuna Pasta as much as we do - be sure to leave a comment if you give it a try.
Alex xx
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Creamy Tuna Pasta
Please note:
For accuracy, when weights are provided, we recommend weighing your ingredients. This will produce the best results. All oven temperatures listed are for fan forced.
Ingredients
- 340 g (12 oz) dried linguine pasta See Note 1
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter See Note 2
- 3 spring onions/scallions - finely chopped, the whites and greens
- 2 cloves garlic - finely chopped
- 3 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 ¼ cups (300 ml) thickened/heavy cream See Note 3
- 2 tablespoon fresh flat leaf parsley - finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon fresh dill - finely chopped
- 370 g (13 oz) tinned tuna in spring water - drained (I use 2x 185 g tins)
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste See Note 4
- 1 cup pasta water – reserve before draining pasta – you may not need to use it all See Note 5
Instructions
- Put a large saucepan of water on the stove and bring to the boil.Once boiling, salt your water and add your pasta, stirring regularly ensuring it does not stick together. Cook the pasta until just al dente. Reserve some pasta water prior to draining.
- While the pasta is cooking, prepare your sauce. In a large, deep frying pan on medium-high heat, melt the butter and add the spring onions/scallions. Stir for 3-5 minutes before adding in the garlic and cooking for a further 1-2 minutes, being careful to not let the garlic burn.
- Add the cream, lemon juice and zest, and bring to a simmer, cooking for 3-4 minutes.
- Add in the tuna, dill and parsley. Break up any large chunks of tuna with a wooden spoon.Stir well and season with salt and pepper.
- Once the tuna has warmed through, add the cooked pasta to the pan and toss through the sauce to combine.Add a little pasta water as needed, until you get the desired consistency.
- Check that the seasoning is to your liking, and serve with some additional chopped parsley or dill, if you desire.
Notes
- Pasta: I have used linguine for this recipe - any shape of pasta is fine, however, my preference for this sauce is a long pasta.
- Tablespoon: we use a standard Australian tablespoon which is 20 ml (4 teaspoons).
- Cream: use thickened/heavy cream that has 35% milk fat.
- Seasoning: adjust the seasoning to your liking – we recommend using freshly ground black pepper and sea salt flakes for the best flavour. Add more red chilli pepper flakes if you like the heat.
- Pasta water: before draining the pasta, reserve 1 cup of the cooking water. The starch in the liquid emulsifies with the creamy sauce, making it silky and luxurious and helping it cling to the pasta.
- Storage and reheating: the Creamy Tuna Pasta is best eaten as soon as it is made. However, if you do have leftovers, store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. To reheat, warm gently in a microwave or a pan on the stovetop and add a little cream or milk if necessary. I do not recommend freezing this recipe.
Nutrition Estimate:
Nutritional Disclaimer:
The nutritional information is an estimate only, and is derived from online calculators. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
Kathy Dobson says
Crreamy Tuna Pasta, beautiful!. Loved making it, and loved eating it!!
- highly recommend:)
Alexandra Cook says
Thank you, Kathy 🙂
So happy you enjoyed the pasta! Alex xo
Russ says
Nice recipe. Thanks so much.
Alexandra says
Thank you, Russ!
Thiya says
So thankful and happy to find this creamy tuna pasta recipe 🙂 all the ingridients blend well and tasty. My family said, my creamy tuna pasta is the best pasta they have been eaten. Thank youu 🙂
Alexandra says
Hi Thiya!
Thank you so much for the lovely comment. I am really pleased that you and your family enjoyed it so much!
Maria says
I love how creamy and delicious this pasta is. The tuna is the perfect protein addition without making this a heavy pasta dish.
Alexandra says
Maria, I am so pleased that you like this pasta recipe. It is a lovely dish with the delicious flavours of lemon and dill perfectly complementing the tuna. So delicious! 🙂