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This simple tuna pasta recipe is totally worth adding to your weekly rotation with spinach, olives, capers, and high-quality yellowfin tuna.
This post is sponsored by King Oscar | Thank you for supporting the brands I trust.
Table of Contents
- Tuna: A Super Easy Way to Bring More Fish Into Your Weeknight Rotation.
- Why King Oscar’s Tuna Should Be Your First Choice.
- We Intentionally Picked Easy to Shop for Ingredients
- Here’s How to Whip Up This Fab Tuna Pasta Recipe.
- Recipe Tips + Tricks.
- Other Awesome Weeknight Pasta Recipes:
- Have You Made This Recipe?
- 20-Minute Tuna Pasta Recipe
Tuna: A Super Easy Way to Bring More Fish Into Your Weeknight Rotation.
If you’re trying to integrate more fish into your weekly menu, you’ve stumbled upon a keeper! It’s common for people to turn to canned tuna when they want to start incorporating more fish into their diets because it’s both familiar and approachable. But not everyone realizes just how versatile tuna can be—and that it can go beyond sandwiches and noodle casseroles. Especially when you’re using a high-quality tuna like King Oscar’s. This is a tuna you want to taste and enjoy, not drown in mayonnaise to pretend it doesn’t exist. Pair it with garlic, spinach, and green olives, and you’re in for an easy and nutritious feast.
Why King Oscar’s Tuna Should Be Your First Choice.
Let’s cut to the chase: there are a lot of unsustainable tuna brands involved in destructive fishing practices. Additionally, the quality of fillets—or flakes—that these brands are putting on the shelves is second-rate. With King Oscar, yellowfin tuna fillets are packed in a pretty glass jar to show off just how superior their fish is. In this recipe, we’re boasting KO’s meaty yellowfin tuna fillets marinated in extra virgin olive oil with gourmet green olives and sweet pimento peppers.
They’re Also Sustainably Sourced.
King Oscar’s tuna is backed by SeaChange™ for being wild-caught and dolphin-safe.
For More Information on buying sustainable seafood, check out our fish and seafood guide.
We Intentionally Picked Easy to Shop for Ingredients
When it comes to simple weeknight dinners, approachable ingredients are key—that’s part of what makes it all so simple! Originally, this recipe was written with a lot more going on with it. But I simplified it in the end, and I’m so glad I did. This combination of ingredients just works. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Pasta—any variety will work! But we love using rotini for this since the ingredients seem to stick and get stuck in the crevices, offering a flavorful bite each time.
- King Oscar’s Yellowfin Tuna in Extra Virgin Olive Oil with Green Olives
- Garlic
- Shallot
- Baby spinach
- Capers
- Castelvetrano olives
- Dijon mustard
- Lemon juice
Here’s How to Whip Up This Fab Tuna Pasta Recipe.
This meal is the ideal weeknight dinner; you get a comforting and filling pasta complete with greens and lean protein—and in such little time. Here’s how it goes:
- Start the pasta, cooking as per the packages directions. Once it’s ready, drain it and set it aside.
- While the pasta cooks, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and shallot to the pan. Stir to coat, and simmer for about a minute. Then add the spinach, capers, and olives. Sprinkle with a smidgen of salt. Simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the spinach has wilted down, stirring occasionally.
- Transfer the tuna, olives, and pimentos to the skillet and, with a spatula, stir it around while also breaking it into large chunks.
- Toss the cooked pasta into the skillet. Drizzle a little more of the oil into the skillet, then add the Dijon and a generous spritz of fresh lemon juice, and stir to coat; serve immediately.
Recipe Tips + Tricks.
- Though you can use any oil you have on hand, I highly suggest using the oil from the King Oscar jar of tuna. It’s super flavorful, and it’s there, so why waste it?
- I recommend using castelvetrano olives because they are sweeter and milder than regular green olives, but regular olives will work as well.
- To add a bit of heat, sprinkle some crushed red pepper onto the pasta before serving.
- Need cheese with your pasta? Crumbled feta or grated parmesan go very well with everything in this pasta.
- When reheating leftovers, the pasta might seem a bit dry. Go ahead and toss a smidgen of olive oil into the pasta to liven it up again.
Other Awesome Weeknight Pasta Recipes:
- Instant Pot Creamy Tomato Pasta with Ground Turkey & Spinach
- Garlicky Rigatoni Pasta with Spinach and Toasted Breadcrumbs
- Instant Pot Pasta Primavera
- Lemon Pasta with Arugula
Have You Made This Recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a STAR rating & commenting below with feedback!
You can also show off your creations on Instagram by tagging @killing__thyme
20-Minute Tuna Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb uncooked pasta
- 1 jar of King Oscar’s Yellowfin Tuna in Extra Virgin Olive Oil with Green Olives
- 1 TBSP olive oil from the jar of tuna
- 4 cloves of garlic , smashed and thinly sliced
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 TBSP drained capers
- 2 heaping cups of ribboned spinach
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped castelvetrano olives
- 1 TBSP Dijon mustard
- 1 TBSP fresh squeezed lemon juice
- Sea salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta as per the packages directions. When ready, drain it and set it aside.
- While the pasta cooks, start heating the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and shallot to the pan. Stir to coat, and simmer for about a minute.
- Add the spinach, capers, and olives to the skillet, and sprinkle with a bit of sea salt. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until the spinach has wilted, stirring occasionally.
- Transfer the tuna, as well as the olives and pimentos from the jar, to the skillet and stir it around, breaking the tuna fillets into large chunks.
- Bring the cooked pasta to the skillet and drizzle a little more of the oil over the pasta; add the Dijon mustard. Squeeze a generous spritz of fresh lemon juice, and toss to coat. Crack some black pepper over the pasta and serve.
Step 4 refers to pimentos that are not listed in the ingredients list. Also, the dijon mustard listed is not mentioned in your instructions.
The pimentos come from the jar of tuna :)