Tuna Pesto Pasta
Tuna pesto pasta is an easy comfort food recipe made with canned tuna, pesto and your favorite noodles. It’s simple, flavorful and perfect for make-ahead meals or weeknight dinners.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 344kcal
Ingredients
- 12 ounces pasta I use two packages of shirataki pasta
- 2 cans tuna drained
- ½ cup frozen peas optional for low-FODMAP
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream or full fat coconut milk or homemade bone broth
- 3 ounces cream cheese or coconut cream
- 6 tablespoons pesto I use Homemade Basil Pesto
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the pasta according to package instructions or make veggie noodles with a spiralizer. I use shirataki noodles, which calls for straining the noodles, then lightly sauteeing them to remove excess moisture.
- In a large skillet, add the cream, cream cheese, peas and half the pesto.
- Heat to a simmer and cook until peas are tender, about 2 minutes.
- Add 1 can of drained tuna and mix well.
- In a bowl, combine the other can of tuna (drained) and the rest of the pesto and mix.
- Add the noodles to the skillet and gently mix until the noodles are covered in creamy sauce.
- Gently fold in the tuna and pesto from the bowl.
Notes
TIP: Adding the tuna and pesto two different ways layers the flavors and textures in the dish.
Note for low-FODMAP
Heavy whipping cream and cream cheese are high-fat dairy and low in FODMAPs. The serving sizes in this recipe are below the recommended serving for lactose. Frozen peas are high in galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) and fructans in servings above ⅛ cup (2 tablespoons). A one tablespoon serving is considered a FODMAP-friendly portion. Canned peas will have a lower FODMAP content and are considered low-FODMAP in ¼ cup servings. If you choose to use canned peas in this recipe, add them at the very end so they are less likely to get mushy when stirred into the pasta. If you want to avoid FODMAPs in peas altogether, use FODMAP-friendly options like spinach, roasted red peppers or tomatoes.Variations
- Use a tuna substitute – swap out the tuna for shrimp or canned or grilled salmon and create a salmon pesto pasta. Or, you can use chicken as a stellar fish substitute.
- Use rice instead of pasta – make this dish with homemade cauliflower rice, shirataki rice or regular rice or even quinoa if you don’t follow a low-carb diet
- Replace the pesto – if you don’t have basil pesto, try using Mexican Chimichurri
- Make it dairy-free – replace the cream and cream cheese with coconut milk or homemade broth and coconut cream. Or, follow my AIP instructions.
How to serve
- Grated parmesan – because parmesan just belongs with pasta
- Crumbled pork rinds – these are a wonderful replacement for breadcrumbs
- Coarsely ground pepper – for a little earthy spiciness and texture
- Red pepper flakes or Aleppo pepper flakes – lends just a little spice and heat
- A drizzle of pesto thinned with olive oil – for more pesto flavor and garnish
- Sprinkle with nutritional yeast – for a cheesy flavor, without the cheese
- Lemon zest or fresh squeezed lemon – adds a brightness
Nutrition
Serving: 0.25recipe | Calories: 344kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 26g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 505mg | Potassium: 254mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Net Carbs*: 3g
https://radfoodie.com/tuna-pesto-pasta/
