Tuna Pasta with Olive Tapenade & Fresh Tomatoes is a super fast, fresh pasta dish that is full of bright clean flavors. An easy dinner ready in 30 minutes! Healthy, quick and delicious!
And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it. ~ Roald Dahl
Tuna Pasta with Olive Tapenade and Fresh Tomatoes is a perfect summer pasta dish. Simple to make with just a little stove time, and you may already have all the ingredients in your pantry! The leftovers keep well in the fridge for several days.
This pasta dish combines olive tapenade, tender canned tuna, fresh tomatoes, vibrant greens, fresh basil and pasta in a delicious array of summer flavors. Lemon zest and pepper flakes completely elevate this dish.
Try this recipe for Olive Tapenade, it is super quick, easy to make and keeps in the fridge for a week. You will find many things to use it with!
Tuna’s flavor and texture is accentuated when canned in olive oil. The texture is succulent and moist. The flavor is rich and not fishy and ready to eat right out of the tin. Tuna in brine may actually decrease the omega 3 fatty acids, the water leaches out flavor, and creates tuna that is dry and sometimes fibrous.
That said we still love our water-canned tuna salad slathered with all the fixings. And totally no shame if you prefer tuna in water or that is what you have on hand, just adjust your seasonings and add a little more olive oil.
Ingredients in Tuna Pasta
- pasta- fusilli, torchetti, bow ties or something that hangs on to the bits and pieces
- olive tapenade
- good quality tuna in olive oil
- lemon zest & lemon juice
- fresh arugula & basil
- fresh tomatoes
- garlic
- red pepper flakes
- olive oil
- salt & pepper
How to cook Tuna Pasta
STEP ONE- Cook pasta according to package directions in salted water. Do not rinse.
STEP TWO- Sauté garlic and pepper flakes in olive oil for a few minutes until it smells fragrant and barely begins to color.
STEP THREE- Add olive tapenade, tuna, oil, and lemon zest and heat to warm, about a minute.
STEP FOUR- Add hot pasta, arugula, and lemon juice (start with 1/8 cup and add more to taste), and stir to combine.
Sprinkle on fresh basil and add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Leftovers can be reheated or enjoyed cold and will often benefit from an extra squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil as the pasta will dry out in the fridge.
Ways to Enhance
- finish off with parmesan shavings
- add anchovies chopped in with the tapenade
- add extra veggies such as roasted zucchini or cauliflower
- top with toasted walnuts or sunflower seeds
Can this be made vegan?
Sure! Leave out the tuna, add some seasoned lentils or chickpeas!
Hope you enjoy!
More recipes to enjoy:
- Tuscan Tuna Salad with Arugula & White Beans
- Delicious Easy 10-Minute Tuna Salad
- Hearts of Palm Tuna Salad
- Antipasto Salad
Tuna Pasta with Olives and Tomatoes
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
- Category: pasta, main
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Description
Tuna Pasta with Olive Tapenade & Fresh Tomatoes is a super fast, fresh pasta dish that is full of bright clean and savory flavors. An easy meal ready in 30 minutes! Healthy, quick and delicious!
Ingredients
- 8 oz pasta like fusilli, torchetti, bow ties- something that hangs on to the bits and pieces
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4– 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 3/4 cup olive tapenade
- 2 cans good quality tuna, 5 oz (in olive oil preferred)
- 2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 cups fresh arugula
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh basil or parsley
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions in salted water. Do not rinse.
- Make the Olive Tapenade.
- Sauté garlic, pepper flakes, and olive oil for a few minutes until it smells fragrant and barely begins to color. Add olive tapenade, tuna and the oil, and lemon zest and heat to warm, about a minute.
- Add hot pasta, arugula, lemon juice (start with 1/8 cup and add more to taste), stir to combine. Add tomatoes, sprinkle on fresh basil and add salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 327
- Sugar: 2.4 g
- Sodium: 158.4 mg
- Fat: 11.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 32.4 g
- Fiber: 2.5 g
- Protein: 22.4 g
- Cholesterol: 10.3 mg
Really enjoyed this! I had extra arugula, so I served it over a bed of arugula with a bit of the extra tapenade (made using the FAH recipe). It makes surprisingly good leftovers.
So glad you gave this one a try SK! Thanks for the kind review.
This recipe was really really good. I used spinach instead of arugula as my husband doesn’t like it, but other than that, followed the recipe. Will definitely make again.
So happy you enjoyed this Peggy!
LOVED this! I used Belazu olive tapenade and grated the garlic straight in rather than sauté to save time. Was really zingy, fresh and balanced. Will make it again!
Nice Rowan, so glad you enjoyed! It is one of my favorites.
My whole family liked this recipe. Even my picky 6-yr-old ate a small portion and said it was good! I subbed spinach for the arugula and forgot to add in the parsley; it was still amazing of course. I used gluten free chickpea pasta. I made the olive tapenade to go with and *so good*, will use the rest of that for our New Year’s Eve spread tomorrow! Thank you Tonia. Sylvia, as a gluten and dairy-free eater, I have used your recipes for years (usually I try a different one each time for fun), they’re my go-tos for dinner! 😍
Great to hear Hillary!
This is killer. Never knew I could like olives so much. I used spinach because I didn’t have arugula, and added red onion. Also sprinkled with fresh Parmesan. Quick and wonderful!
We’re so happy you liked this Joan!
One of our favorites, in regular rotation at our house. Nice complement to our normal vegetarian fare. Olive tapenade creates such savory flavors, and the lemon gives it brightness. Leftovers are great for lunch the next day.
Great to hear!
Good the first night; delicious the second day (cold).
Great to hear Christy!
Superb. Cooked this up in record time with Trader Joe’s pre-made olive tapenade (near the hummus aisle). And added a tin of TJ’s marinated chickpeas as a topping.
… gotta love a good Trader Joe’s x Sylvia remix 🙂
Nice Chris, love it!
Tuna packed in olive oil makes such a difference…Enjoyed this warm, but I must say that for me, the next day it was even better cold on a 100 degree day here in Eastern Wa! Another A+…
Great to hear Sally!
A lovely, refreshing, light dish for summer! loved the Tapenade and the volumes of flavour it added to this dish. It went from simple to amazing with it in there. The only thing extra I added was some fresh grated parmesan at the end. Simple and delicious! Thank you 🙂
Glad you enjoyed this Jodie!
This was excellent. A keeper. I made my own tapenade using your recipe as a guide and using a mix of olives. The recipe makes quite a bit so we had leftovers for lunch the next day. I think a good quality tuna is important to the dish.
Great to hear!
Amazing! Just made it for dinner, so simple and delicious.
Awesome Alex! So glad you enjoyed.
Made this tonight and followed the recipe. WOW! Delicious and easy to make. Thank you!!
Thanks Ellie, so glad you enjoyed!
I’m making this right now and see that you didn’t mention when to add the tomatoes. I’m guessing it’s towards the end.
Oops, yes, updated the recipe card and thanks for pointing it out Clare.