20-minute Lemony Mediterranean Tuna Pasta
on Jan 28, 2021, Updated May 04, 2022
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Grab a can of tuna, a can of tomatoes and a packet of pasta from your pantry. Toss them together with a few other simple flavours. Within 15 minutes you’ll have a tasty and healthy Mediterranean tuna pasta dinner on the table that everyone will love!
So you thought you’d left tuna pasta behind with your student days? Think again! I’ve added a delicious lemony, Mediterranean twist to this simple and yet elegant version of a classic quick, easy and economical meal.
What’s so great about THIS tuna pasta recipe?
Do a search for tuna pasta and you’ll find hundreds of different versions. Here’s why I think this lemony Mediterranean tuna pasta’s worth your time:
- It’s essentially a pantry meal – perfect for those days when there isn’t much left in the fridge (and if you love quick pantry pastas, consider trying pasta with marinara sauce or the punchier puttanesca pasta as well!).
- It’s very quick and easy to make and can be on the table in around 15 minutes.
- It uses just a few simple ingredients, but is extra tasty. Lemon, cinnamon, basil and 2 cheeses – parmesan and feta – take it to next level deliciousness.
- Admit it – you have various odds and ends of pasta in your pantry. This is a perfect recipe for using them up. I’ve called it tuna spaghetti, but really you can use any kind of pasta.
- It’s a crowd pleaser! Young or old, everyone in your family is likely to enjoy this flavourful meal.
It’s tuna pasta, but not as you know it. It’s made with simple pantry ingredients, but the zingy Mediterranean flavours will blow you away.
This makes a great simple weekend dinner as well! If you need more ideas, check out this list of 100 best Sunday dinner ideas.
About the ingredients
You’ll find a full list of ingredients with amounts in the recipe card below. But here’s a summary of what you need to know.
Pantry essentials: spaghetti (or any kind of pasta – you’ll see I used tagliatelle in my photos here), a small can of tuna (it goes a long way in the sauce!), a can of tomatoes (I prefer cherry tomatoes, but any tomatoes are fine)
Fresh ingredients: both the zest and the juice of a lemon for a nice hit of lemon flavour, a chopped onion, a couple of cloves of garlic and some fresh basil or parsley
Other herbs and spices: ground cinnamon (trust me), dried herbs, plenty of black pepper, a pinch of chili flakes or half a chopped chili if you like
cheeses: a handful of parmesan to mix in with the sauce, and some feta cheese for some extra Mediterranean tang
How to make Mediterranean tuna pasta
After you’ve prepared all your ingredients, this can be on the table in around 15 minutes. Put the water on to boil for the spaghetti and by the time the pasta is cooked the tuna tomato sauce can be ready too.
Here are the basic steps:
Step 1: Cook pasta. While it’s cooking, make the sauce.
Step 2: To make the sauce, soften onion and garlic. Add dried herbs and spices.
Step 3: Add tomatoes and let simmer with a bit of water for a few minutes.
Step 4: Stir through tuna, lemon (both zest and juice!), cheeses and any fresh herbs. Add optional spice!
Step 5: Transfer pasta straight from the water into the pan. Serve and enjoy!
Helen’s Top Tips
- The key to getting a thick, glossy sauce (instead of a watery one) is to use small kitchen tongs to transfer the spaghetti straight out of the cooking water and into the pan that you’ve cooked the sauce in.
- As a follow on from the above, once you’ve added the pasta add a bit more cooking water to get the consistency just right.
How to serve it
Serve the pasta immediately while the sauce is still glossy. Sprinkle with a little extra parmesan and fresh basil if you like.
It’s delicious served with a fresh green salad and olive oil toasts on the side. Or just serve it as it is.
When eating up some of my son’s leftovers, I discovered that this tuna spaghetti also tastes pretty good cold. Leftovers would make a great school or work lunch!
More easy pasta recipes
- 15-minute creamy pesto chicken with mushrooms and parmesan (I usually serve this with tagliatelle!)
- If you’re loving the Mediterranean style of this recipe, try this delicious pasta alla norma (eggplant pasta) or this 12-minute cherry tomato pasta recipe as well.
- 6-ingredient fennel and sausage pasta (recipe includes a stove top or pressure cooker version)
- This creamy chicken and mushroom pasta takes only 20 minutes to make, and actually doesn’t contain much cream.
- Creamy chorizo pasta (not much cream!)
- lemony prosciutto pasta with farfalle or creamy pasta with pea sauce (these two are great for spring!)
Or take a look at all my pasta recipes.
20-minute lemony Mediterranean pasta
Ingredients
- 5 ounces spaghetti, (or linguine, tagliatelle, or any other pasta)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon mixed Italian herbs, (or choose 1: thyme, oregano, basil)
- 1 can cherry tomatoes, (14-ounce or 400-gram can) Ordinary canned chopped tomatoes are fine too
- 1 pinch chili flakes, (optional)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 6.5 ounces tuna, (1 can or 185 grams) Drained. I usually go for tuna in spring water or in olive oil
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
- ½ bunch fresh basil, plus a little extra to garnish (or parsley if basil isn't available)
- salt and pepper to taste
- ⅓ cup feta cheese, crumbled or cubed (around 50 grams or 1.75 ounces)
to serve
- fresh green salad and toasted bread with olive oil and salt, (optional)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the cooking instructions.
- Meanwhile, soften the onion in a little olive oil in a frying pan or large saucepan. After a few minutes, add the garlic and cook for a minute longer. Then add the cinnamon and dried herbs and cook for another few seconds.
- Add the tomatoes and around half a cup of water to the pan. Simmer for around 5 minutes or until the sauce has reduced slightly and the pasta is cooked. Stir in the honey.
- Now stir in the tuna, lemon zest and juice, parmesan cheese and fresh herbs. Grind in some salt and black pepper to taste.
- Use kitchen tongs (or a slotted spoon if not using long pasta) to lift the pasta straight out of the water and into the tomato sauce. Add the feta cheese. Stir well, adding a ladle or two of pasta cooking water if needed.
- Serve into bowls immediately. Sprinkle with extra parmesan and fresh herbs if you like.
Was lovely used a left over salmon fillet didn’t have feta so used cream cheese was delicious thanks lovely fresh lemony flavour
Very happy to hear you enjoyed it so much, Susan, and I’m so glad you adapted the recipe to suit you!
Wow! This is so packed full of flavour. It’s the best tuna pasta I’ve ever tasted and I didn’t even have the Parmesan, feta or fresh herbs on hand.. can’t wait to try when I have all the ingredients! It was already unreal! Thank you for publishing!
This is SO encouraging to hear, Clara! I think it’s the lemon that pushes it to over-the-top tasty, but you’re right it’s even better with the bit of parmesan and feta. So happy you liked it! 🙂
Absolutely love this – thank you so much. The cinnamon was a great boost in flavour. Great easy dinner. Cheers Audrie in New Zealand
Hello Audrie! Thank you SO much for the feedback. I really love this recipe too. It’s a great weeknight meal. If you get a moment would you mind rating the recipe for me? You just click the stars right next to the comments. Thanks again and have a great week! 🙂
Beaut Sunday night tea all done in the time it takes to cook your pasta!
Aw thank you so much, Audrie! 🙂