15 minute meals are always a godsend when Iโm tired, busy or stressed. This tuna pesto pasta provides everything you need in a speedy balanced lunch or weeknight meal: flavour, nutrients, minimal mess and affordability.
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Try these other yummy pasta recipes this week; Chicken and Mushroom Pasta, Spicy Chicken Pasta Recipe, Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta
The main ingredients that make this tuna pesto pasta recipe fantastic are the following:
Oil packed tuna
For this recipe I wanted the tuna to feel smooth and indulgent, which is what you achieve when you buy oil packed tuna. If you want to reduce the calories slightly, then tuna in brine is also delicious.
Celery
This is often a staple in tuna mayo salads, but why not pair it with tuna pesto pasta? I love the fresh crunch and flavour it provides to this dish.
Parmesan
As this dish is healthy, I wanted to add a cheese with a strong flavour that you therefore donโt have to add too much. Enterโฆgrated parm!
Fresh pesto
I prefer the flavour of fresh pesto far more so I like to splurge here, but if you want to cut costs you can go for jarred pesto.
Different pasta: I used fusilli as I love the way that the flavours dive into the pasta shape, but feel free to use your favourite pasta shape of choice.
Different type of tuna: thereโs an abundance of types of tunas, whether theyโre packed with oil, spring water, brine or infused with ingredients like chilli, choose your favourite!
Different Nuts in pesto the pesto: I use a pine-nut based pesto but you could use one that uses cashews, pistachios, whatever you fancy!
Gluten Free: select your favourite brand of GF pasta for this pesto tuna pasta or use a low carb substitute such as courgettie/zucchini noodles.
3. After 3 minutes of cooking the pasta, add the green beans to the same pot of boiling water. Then for the final minute, add the chopped celery (Image 3).
4. Drain the pasta, green beans, and celery in a colander, reserving around a mug full of pasta water. Then add the pasta, green beans, celery, tuna, white wine vinegar, and pesto to a skillet (Image 4).
5. Add the parmesan and parsley to the mixture in the skillet (Image 5).
6. Mix the ingredients well and serve (Image 6).
Consider making these other delightful Tuna dishes during the week; Healthy Tuna Pasta Salad, Spicy Tuna with Crispy Rice (Budget Recipe), Creamy tuna pasta bake
This pesto pasta with tuna is already a balanced meal, so you donโt need to serve it with anything else but if you fancied making a whole spread, these dishes would work well together:
More protein:
More veggies/carbs:
Refrigerator- tuna and pesto pasta can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4- 5 days.
Freezer- you can freeze this recipe for up to 3 months. I recommend individually portioning out the pesto pasta with tuna so you can grab a serving at a time as meal prep.
Reheat- reheat in the microwave for two minutes with 1 tbsp of boiling water to prevent the pesto tuna from drying out. To defrost, let the serving thaw in the fridge overnight.
Yes! In this recipe I throw everything from the can into the tuna pesto pasta as the oil adds more flavour and a better texture to the dish.ย
You may have finished the dish over too high of a heat- this causes the moisture to be cooked off and will try out the ingredients. Add an extra splash of pasta water when finishing or/and an extra drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.ย
Definitely! Use whichever pesto you prefer.ย
Need something sweet for after? Try these recipes; Nutella Blended Baked Oats (Tiktok Inspired), Steamed Lemon Cake, Soft Flapjack Recipe (Gooey and Chewy!)
If you tried this Tuna Pesto Pasta Recipe, it would be mean so much to me if you could leave a review & a star rating to let me know how you found it! I love hearing about your experiences – it motivates me to keep creating more and more recipes for you guys ๐ Let’s get cooking! – Mimi x
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