Mediterranean Tuna Pasta is the perfect mix of tuna casserole and Nicoise salad. This quick and easy recipe includes canned tuna, fresh tomatoes, capers, red onions, mozzarella, and Kalamata olives. Makes great leftovers!
The “holy grail” of recipe development is creating something that’s easy to make, easy on the budget, can be made in 30 minutes, and is absolutely delicious.
It’s a goal worth striving for and a difficult one to achieve, but this Mediterranean tuna pasta? Wow! I keep making it and eating it, making it and eating it. Today I only made it because my sweetheart and a friend stopped by and ate the whole load!
Think Nicoise salad meets tuna casserole and you’ll be somewhere close to this recipe.
Canned tuna is tossed with chopped tomatoes, olives, red onions, capers, parsley, olive oil and lemon juice, and then tossed again with hot fusilli pasta and grated mozzarella cheese. The hot pasta will melt the cheese into the tuna mixture.
Make it ahead if you like. If you do, warm it up in the microwave before serving.
The best tuna for pasta salad
For this recipe we recommend albacore tuna wrapped in high quality olive oil. If you prefer a lighter version, you can substitute water-filled tuna. However, the oil that the tuna was packed in also adds an extra layer of flavor.
We recommend albacore tuna because it has better flavor and a firmer, flaky texture.
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This recipe makes great leftovers! It’s perfect for a quick lunch at work. It’s also a perfect recipe for an outdoor picnic. It keeps well in the fridge for 5 to 6 days. Just make sure you microwave it for 30-60 seconds.
More easy canned tuna recipes!
- Classic tuna salad
- Classic tuna noodle casserole
- The best tuna salad sandwich ever
- Pasta with tuna and arugula
- THUN Macaroni Salad
From the editors of Simply Recipes
Mediterranean tuna pasta
If you’re using good quality canned tuna that’s packaged in good quality olive oil, you don’t need to drain it. The oil is heavily flavored. If you question the quality of the oil, drain and add an equal amount of your favorite olive oil (about 2 tablespoons, as directed in the ingredients).
If you can’t find fusilli, substitute other pasta with nooks and crannies like rotini, campanelle, conchiglie, or farfalle.
ingredients
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2 (5th–ounce) cans of albacore tuna tuna (preferably packed in olive oil), drained
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1 tomatocored, halved crosswise and excess juice squeezed out, chopped (approx 1 Cup)
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1/4 Cup Kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
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1/4 Cup red onion, chopped
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2 tablespoon parsley, chopped
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1 tablespoon capers, roughly chopped
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2 teaspoon lemon juice
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2 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil (more if you use water packed tuna)
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1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
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prize fresh ground black pepper
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3/4 lb uncooked fusili pasta
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1 Cup Mozzarella cheese, grated
method
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Bring the pasta water to a boil:
Bring 2 liters of salted water (1 tablespoon kosher salt) to a boil. While you are heating the pasta water, prepare the ingredients.
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Mix the tuna with tomatoes, olives, onions, parsley, capers, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper:
Place the drained tuna in a medium bowl. Stir with a fork to break up the largest chunks of tuna. Add tomatoes, olives, red onion, parsley, capers, lemon juice, olive oil (if needed), salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
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Cook pasta al dente:
When the water boils, add the pasta and bring to the boil again. Cook, uncovered, over a bubbling simmer until al dente (done but still a bit al dente), about 6 to 9 minutes more. Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water.
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Add pasta to tuna mixture, sprinkle with cheese:
Drain the pasta and immediately add the hot pasta to the tuna mixture.
Sprinkle with the grated mozzarella cheese and stir until well combined. If the pasta seems a bit dry, add some of the reserved pasta water and/or a little more olive oil.
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Serve and enjoy!
Serve warm for a light lunch or dinner.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 598 | calories |
| 20g | Fat |
| 70g | carbohydrates |
| 34g | protein |
