Description
This easy tuna pesto pasta recipe with burst cherry tomatoes, spinach, and garlic is a weeknight meal you’ll love. Ready in under 25 minutes, this dish is great for busy nights when you need something quick and tasty!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound rotini or other short shape, like fusilli or penne
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 6 ounces pesto store-bought, or try this homemade Almond Pesto
- 10 ounces oil-packed tuna from 2 cans
- 5 ounces fresh baby spinach about half of a regular bag
- kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente.
- Meanwhile, heat a pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and once it is shimmering, add the garlic. Saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Add the cherry tomatoes to the pan and pierce with a paring knife. Season the tomatoes with a bit of salt. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, using the back of a wooden spoon to lightly crush the tomatoes as they soften.
- Add in the pesto. Stir well and taste for seasoning.
- Add the spinach and tuna to the pan with the cherry tomatoes, garlic, and pesto. Stir to combine.
- Once the pasta has finished cooking, reserve a cup of the pasta water and drain. Add the cooked pasta to the tomato, pesto, and spinach mixture and stir well to combine. If the pasta seems dry, stir a little of the pasta water.
- Taste for seasoning and serve!
Notes
General:
- I recommend cooking dry pasta to 1 minute below the lower recommended cook time for al dente pasta. For example, if the box directions say cook for 9 to 10 minutes, I’ll cook for 8 minutes.
- Adding a bit of starchy pasta water to a sauce can either help loosen a sauce that is too thick and, or help a sauce adhere to the pasta.
- You can use water-packed tuna if you’d prefer. Oil-packed tuna has a bit more flavor.
Storage and Reheating
- Fridge Leftover pesto pasta with tuna will last for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Be sure to store in an airtight container.
- Freezer I do not recommend freezing this dish.
- Reheating It’s easiest to reheat this dish in the microwave, or you can eat it as a cold tuna pesto pasta salad.
Equipment
- Prep Time: 5minutes
- Cook Time: 20minutes
- Category: Main Course, Pasta
- Cuisine: American, Italian, Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Calories: 520kcal
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 484mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Carbohydrates: 63g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 25g
- Cholesterol: 17mg