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    Home » Recipes » Main Dish

    Tuna Pesto Pasta

    Published: Feb 24, 2022 by Kelsey Smith

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    This creamy tuna pesto pasta recipe makes for an easy 15-minute dinner. Try it with store-bought or homemade pesto.

    Tuna pesto pasta calls for butter, garlic, chunk light tuna, pesto, heavy cream, parmesan, cherry tomatoes, and seasoning and is served warm. Garnish with fresh basil (optional) for a bright pop of color. Use red cherry tomatoes or a mix of red and gold (pictured).

    This recipe is a year-round favorite. Cherry tomatoes are available year-round with peak season in the hot summer months. Try this pasta dish at your next family gathering, from Easter lunch to a 4th of July cookout.

    For more easy pasta dishes, try Rotel chicken spaghetti or cheeseburger macaroni.

    Why you'll love this recipe

    • Fast: Make this recipe in 15 minutes or less.
    • Easy to make: This recipe is perfect for all home cooks, even beginners.

    This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Top down view of a dutch oven containing rotini pasta coated in tuna and pesto sauce with halved cherry tomatoes and fresh basil.
    Jump to:
    • Why you'll love this recipe
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Substitutions
    • Equipment
    • Storage
    • 📖 Recipe

    Ingredients

    Tuna pesto pasta ingredients: pasta, chunk light tuna, pesto, garlic, parmesan, cherry tomatoes, heavy cream, butter, and seasoning.
    • pasta: use a short pasta cut like salad rotini (pictured)
    • tuna: canned chunk light tuna in water, drained
    • pesto: make your own pesto or use store-bought pesto
    • garlic: either fresh garlic or pre-minced garlic from the grocery store
    • parmesan: shredded parmesan cheese
    • heavy cream: half-and-half will also work
    • cherry tomatoes: this is a blend of red and golden cherry tomatoes
    • butter: salted
    • garlic powder
    • salt
    • pepper

    See the recipe card for quantities.

    Instructions

    Boil pasta according to package directions, adding 1 tablespoon salt to the pasta water (optional). Drain and set aside.

    Dutch oven filled with water boiling rotini pasta.
    Boil the pasta in a large pot.

    Combine all spices into a large bowl and mix thoroughly into leanMeanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

    Minced garlic being sautéed in butter in a medium saucepan.
    Don't overcook the garlic or it will lose its flavor.

    Add the pesto and tuna to the saucepan, breaking up the tuna with the spatula. Heat until warm, about 2 minutes.

    Chunk light tuna and pesto are mixed together. The tuna has been broken down into small pieces.

    When the pesto-tuna mixture is warmed through, slowly add the heavy cream, stirring as you pour. Heat until warm, about 2 minutes.

    Cream is mixed into the tuna pesto mixture.

    Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the onion powder, salt, pepper, and parmesan until the cheese melts.

    Parmesan cheese has been stirred in a melted into the tuna pesto mixture.

    Next, toss in the cherry tomatoes.

    Halved cherry tomatoes have been stirred into the tuna pesto mixture.

    Combine cooked and drained pasta with the sauce in a large pot, stirring to coat the pasta evenly. Add more salt or pepper to taste. Serve warm.

    Tuna pesto mixture stirred in with rotini pasta in a dutch oven.

    Garnish with fresh basil (optional).

    Substitutions

    Below are a few ways to customize this dish.

    • Pasta - Use 1 pound of any short pasta shapes. Try penne, cellentani, farfalle, rigatoni, rotini, salad rotini (pictured), macaroni, or cavatappi. Gluten-free pasta will also work for this recipe.
    • Tuna - Tuna can be replaced with shredded chicken breast or canned chicken breast
    • Pesto - Use jarred pesto or homemade pesto. Try traditional pesto, nut-free pesto, or vegan pesto.
    • Parmesan - Traditional jarred pesto already contains parmesan, so you may choose to skip this ingredient entirely. If you are dairy-free, a little sprinkle of nooch would be a great addition.
    • Heavy cream - For a slightly lighter dish, try half-and-half or whole milk. Heavy cream is the thickest of these options. For a non-dairy option, try homemade cashew cream.

    Equipment

    All you need for this recipe is a large pot to boil the pasta, a colander to drain the pasta, and a medium saucepan for the tuna-pesto mixture.

    The pot pictured is the Lodge 6-Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven in the color Island Spice Red.

    Top down view of a dutch oven containing rotini pasta coated in tuna and pesto sauce with halved cherry tomatoes and fresh basil.

    Storage

    Store in an airtight container in the refrigerators for 3 to 5 days.

    Pesto pasta can be frozen but the flavors will not be as fresh after freezing and thawing.

    📖 Recipe

    Tuna pesto pasta in a 6-quart dutch oven garnished with fresh basil. Halved cherry tomatoes are mixed in.
    Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved! Email Print

    Tuna Pesto Pasta

    This creamy tuna pesto pasta recipe makes for an easy 15-minute dinner. Try it with store-bought or homemade pesto.
    5 from 1 vote
    Recipe by: Kelsey Smith
    Prep time: 5 minutes
    Cook time: 10 minutes
    Total time: 15 minutes
    Servings: 6

    Equipment

    • Large pot
    • Colander
    • Medium saucepan

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 pound (16 ounces) pasta
    • 1 tablespoon salted butter
    • 4 cloves garlic minced
    • 1 cup (8 ounces) pesto
    • 15 ounces chunk light tuna drained
    • ¼ cup (2 ounces) heavy whipping cream
    • ¼ cup (22.5 grams) shredded parmesan
    • ½ teaspoon onion powder
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 1-½ cups (10 ounces) cherry tomatoes, halved

    Instructions
     

    • Boil pasta according to package directions, adding 1 tablespoon salt to the pasta water (optional). Drain and set aside.
    • Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
    • Add the pesto and tuna to the saucepan, breaking up the tuna with the spatula. Heat until warm, about 2 minutes.
    • When the pesto-tuna mixture is warmed through, slowly add the heavy cream, stirring as you pour. Heat until warm, about 2 minutes.
    • Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the onion powder, salt, pepper, and parmesan until the cheese melts. Next, toss in the cherry tomatoes.
    • Combine cooked and drained pasta with the sauce in a large pot, stirring to coat the pasta evenly. Add more salt or pepper to taste. Serve warm.

    Video

    Notes

    Pasta: Use 1 pound of any short pasta shapes. Try penne, cellentani, farfalle, rigatoni, rotini, salad rotini (pictured), macaroni, or cavatappi.
    Pesto: Use store-bought or homemade pesto.
    Garnish ideas: Fresh basil, parmesan, pine nuts
    Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerators for 3 to 5 days. Pesto pasta can be frozen but the flavors will not be as fresh after freezing and thawing.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 340kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 23gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 1101mgPotassium: 523mgFiber: 2gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1623IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 146mgIron: 2mg
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: tuna
    Tried this recipe?Rate it to let me know how it was!
    Top down view of a dutch oven containing pasta coated in tuna and pesto sauce with halved cherry tomatoes and fresh basil. Text at the top reads Tuna Pesto Pasta.Top down view of a dutch oven containing pasta coated in tuna and pesto sauce with halved cherry tomatoes and fresh basil. Text at the top reads Tuna Pesto Pasta.

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    About Kelsey Smith

    I am a freelance content writer for college-level textbooks by day, mommy by night, and a blogger in between. I live in Knoxville, Tennessee with my husband, Xavier. When I'm not working on college textbooks, you might find me here, sharing recipes, social media tutorials, and more.

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    Hi, I'm Kelsey! I am a freelance content writer for college-level textbooks by day, mommy by night, and a blogger in between. I live in Knoxville, Tennessee with my husband, Xavier. When I'm not working, you might find me here, sharing easy comfort food recipes.

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