This effortless and inexpensive Pantry Tuna Pasta, is a tasty flavourful dish that is perfect as a quick lunch or even as a cold pasta salad!
An ultimate weekly lunch for me! Whenever I’m working from home and I don’t meal prep, have leftovers or am testing something for the blog, you will always find me opening all the kitchen cabinets trying to see what I can eat.
Most of the time, I end up eating the same thing or a version of it. That is, this pantry tuna pasta, hence the name! I always have these ingredients in my pantry thus why I end up making it often. With just few ingredients this pasta dish is packed with so much flavour and can truly be enjoyed all year round.
One thing: It best to use good quality ingredients for such a dish, as it will make it so much better!
Ingredients for this Pantry Tuna Pasta
- Pasta: For this dish, I like to use small pasta shapes such as radiatori, lumachine, cavatappi and orecchiette. I like how these shapes catch ingredients well in their nooks. As I also like this pasta for a cold pasta salad, I would recommend a short pasta for this dish!
- Tuna: Best is to use tuna packed in olive oil. Or else for such dishes, were the tuna is a main ingredient, I prefer to use higher quality standard tuna usually packed in glass jars.
- Olives: Again, I like to use the green mild buttery olives for such a dish, as I don’t want them to over power the dish with a strong tart tangy flavour, as I want that from the capers. In my opinion, the best olives for this pasta dish are Italian green olives such as Castelvetrano or Cerignola olives. They are large olives with a bright green colour and a meaty texture. You can use other olives, however, I recommend to be wary and limit the amount as they might make the dish too pungent in flavour with the capers.
- Capers: These small little buds full of flavour will give the dish a burst of saltiness which will bring everything together. For this recipe, I like to use capers in a sea salt brine as we tend to get in Malta. The ones I used are actually from a local farm in Malta, Tulliera, who specialise in local produce and these are incredible! I’m now finding myself opening the jar and just snack on them as I go – too good!!
- Parsley: Fresh herbs are the best to add that extra touch of freshness.
- Cucumbers: Techincally, not found in the pantry but for me they are always in the fridge. These are optional but sweet persian cucumbers balance out the saltiness in this dish! I recommend to smash the cucumbers before chopping, this creates more nooks for the goodness to be absored in the cucumbers.
- Olive oil: Using the best extra virgin olive oil for dressing, will definitely make this dish taste better.
- White wine vinegar: A small dash will brighten the flavours of this dish. I like to use a nuetral coloured vinegar, however, you can also use dark vinegars. Just be wary that these will impact the flavour and might also give a slight tint to your pasta dish.
- Mustard: The ideal emulsifier! Using mustard not only helps combine together the oil and vinegar, but it’s flavour pairs nicely with several ingredients.
Other variation of this Pantry Pasta Dish
This is a pantry pasta dish with items I personally always have on hand, in fact, it’s one of my staple weekly lunches. However, you can add or remove ingredients to your liking and what you have! For a vegan version or a plant based option, swap the tuna with beans and slightly mash them or keep them whole. Don’t know what to do with the can of anchovies you opened for that one recipe? Swap the tuna with a few anchovy fillets! Or even, jarred salmon or sardines. You can also add sun dried tomatoes, although be careful for the saltiness! The cucumbers in this dish are optional, as technically, they aren’t found in the pantry, but for me they are a constant in our fridge, so I consider them as such. If cucumbers aren’t your thing, swap with tomatoes, courgettes or even bell peppers!
FAQs
Can I serve this pasta cold?
Yes! The beauty of this dish is that it can be enjoyed both warm and cold! The flavours are strong so they will make a rich pasta salad. Once cooled I wouldn’t recommend heating it up. Instead before serving, I recommend an extra drizzle of olive oil and give everything a good mix!
How can I store leftover pasta?
If you have any leftovers of this pantry tuna pasta you can store in an airtight container in the fridge. I would recommend using up any leftovers in 2 days, as the dressing can make the pasta go soggy and it will not be as good if left for more.
Pantry Pasta Tuna
Ingredients
- 320 g short pasta radiatori/lumachine/orechiette/etc
- 240 g tuna in olive oil
- 60 g green olives castelvetrano or cerginola
- 2 tbsp capers
- 4 small persian cucumbers
- 90 ml olive oil
- 30 ml white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
Instructions
- In a large pot, cook the pasta until al dente in salted water according to the instructions on the package.
- For the dressing, in a small bowl whisk all the together the olive oil, mustard and white wine vinegar.
- Smash and chop the cucumbers and season with salt.
- Place the pasta in a large bowl. Add all the ingredients and the dressing. Stir everything well so that it is all evenly mixed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
If you have any questions, feedback or comments on this recipe, please leave a comment below. Please also rate this recipe by double clicking on the stars below. If you did make this recipe, tag @apronandwhisk and hashtag #apronandwhisk, as I’m curious to see what you create!
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