White Tuna Pasta, or pasta al tonno in bianco, combines canned tuna, capers, garlic, and extra-virgin olive oil, tossed with al dente pasta and fresh parsley, for a super simple, super economical meal that’s great for lunch, dinner, and anytime in between.
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Easy and economical
Whenever I’m looking for something that’s both simple and budget-friendly, I turn to my pantry. I always keep ingredients like canned tuna on hand for a quick snack, but also for dishes like this white tuna pasta, its red sauce counterpart, pasta al tonno en rosso, and Italian tuna and white bean salad.
The thing I love about this pasta is that it really can be made on a whim, at any time of day, and tastes great every single time. The briny capers are the perfect complement to the canned yellowfin tuna, and the fresh parsley and lemon add brightness to the dish, balancing out the flavors perfectly.
White tuna pasta is especially good for busy weeknights, and the leftovers are great the next day too.
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Tuna. Now is the time to use canned yellowfin tuna packed in olive oil. Save the albacore in water for recipes like New York deli tuna salad or tuna macaroni salad. That being said, if all you have on hand is albacore in water, you can certainly use that for white tuna pasta.
- Capers. I love the flavor capers add to this dish. Be sure to rinse them, though as they can be quite salty.
- Lemon. Fresh lemon juice adds brightness and an acidic component to the dish.
- Parsley. Fresh parsley should be used.
- Pasta. Tubular pastas like penne, ziti, rigatoni, or paccheri work best for tuna pasta in biano. When cooking your pasta, be sure to save pasta water too as it’s an important component of this dish.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
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How to make tuna pasta in white sauce
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. While waiting, heat a large pan to medium and saute the garlic in 1/4 cup of olive oil until golden, then add the capers to the pan.
- Add the tuna and crushed red pepper flakes using your spoon to break the tuna apart. At this time, cook the pasta to 1 minute shy of al dente. Add 1 cup of pasta water to the pan and simmer the white tuna sauce.
- Add the parsley and cook for 1 minute more.
- Add the pasta to the tuna sauce and toss to coat well. Continue to cook the pasta in the pan with the sauce until al dente, then remove from the heat and mix in the lemon juice. Taste test, and adjust salt and pepper or crushed red pepper as needed. Add the remaining olive oil and mix again. Add the lemon slices and serve.
Top tips
- Serving the pasta. The longer you wait to serve the pasta, the more it will dry out. If this happens, simply add a bit of the reserved pasta water to thin out and reconstitute the white tuna sauce pasta.
- Ingredients. Since there are so few ingredients in this dish, I do recommend using the best you can find. Fresh parsley and fresh lemon juice will yield far superior results to dried parsley or bottled lemon juice. Use the best yellowfin tuna your budget allows. Costco usually has great prices on Genova brand tuna in olive oil. Though it’s not from Italy, I find it’s one of the best price/quality brands.
- Save. Your. Pasta. Water. I say this all the time for most pasta recipes, but it’s even more important for this one because it’s a critical component in the white tuna sauce.
More canned seafood pasta recipes
If you loved the simplicity of my white tuna pasta, give these other recipes a try.
If you’ve enjoyed this Tuna Pasta recipe, give it a 5-star rating.
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Tuna Pasta in White Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil divided
- 5 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons capers rinsed
- 10-12 ounces canned yellowfin tuna
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup minced flat-leaf Italian parsley
- 2 cups pasta water will most likely not need it all of it
- 4 lemon slices for garnish
- salt and pepper to taste
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Instructions
- Bring a large pot salted water to boil.
- Heat a large pot or pan to medium heat and add a 1/4 cup of olive oil and the garlic. After the garlic is golden add the capers to the pan.
- Next, add the tuna pieces and oil from the can along with the crushed red pepper flakes. Break the tuna apart with a wooden spoon.
- Begin cooking the pasta to 1 minute less than al dente.
- Add a cup of pasta water to the pan and simmer the tuna sauce. Add the parsley and cook 1 minute more.
- Add the pasta to the tuna sauce and toss to coat well. Cook until the pasta reaches al dente, then remove the pan from the heat. Add the lemon juice. Taste test and adjust salt/pepper and crushed pepper levels if required. Mix in the remaining extra virgin olive oil.
- If the pasta is dry, add a bit of the reserved pasta water to thin out the pasta and get the perfect consistency. Enjoy!
Notes
- Tuna. Yellowfin tuna fillets packed in oil are preferred, but canned albacore can also be used.
- Salt levels. No extra salt was added due to the addition of the capers. Adjust according to personal taste.
- Pasta water. Make sure to reserve pasta water to get the sauce just right and to avoid it drying out before serving.
- Leftovers. Tuna pasta with white sauce can be saved in the fridge for up to 3 days. It’s great cold, but it can be reheated in the microwave as well.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I’m still making this delicious dish for my family on Friday’s. We just love it! Easy, nutritious and economical to prepare.
So happy to hear that, Colette!
Would a little anchovy paste work in the place of the anchovies?? Would it be added when I sauté the garlic??
Absolutely, and yes, and when you saute the garlic. Hope you enjoy!
Awesome weekday dish! Not only fast and easy it’s delicious too! Thanks for the recipe!
We’re so happy you liked it, Frank!
Loved it! If you sub the pasta with spaghetti squash, it’s the perfect keto and gluten free meal.
Thanks for the comment, Ellie, and the suggestion for modifcation!
Delicious! My husband and I loved this dish. We abstain from meat on Friday and I wanted to through something together quickly. This was perfect! Thank you.
Hi Annette, I’m so happy you enjoyed this one and really appreciate the comment!
I love the simplicity of the ingredients in this. Simple is sometimes the most delicious, and I appreciate tips for which tuna to use and adding the right amount of pasta water for a smooth sauce.
Thanks so much! This really is a simple recipe. The tuna quality definitely can make or break this dish.