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Skillet Tuna Pasta

Name: Skillet Tuna Pasta
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 4 oz Whole Grain Spaghetti; 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil; 1 cup Carrots (shredded); 2 Green Onions (chopped); 1 Portobello Mushroom (1/4" thick slices); 1 cup Frozen Peas (thawed); 1 7 oz can Tuna (drained); 1/2 cup 1% Milk; 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt; 1/4 tsp Black Pepper

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Skillet Tuna Pasta Recipe is a veggie-loaded tuna pasta that’s on the table in 30. This easy, canned tuna recipe uses spaghetti noodles, everyday vegetables, and a light cream sauce. Whole grain noodles add fiber and nutrition to this busy weeknight tuna pasta!

Skillet Tuna Pasta

Tuna pasta been a go-to recipe in our house for many years. It’s quick, easy, and is a lighter version of a tuna casserole, made with a healthy dose of vegetables and a small amount of dairy. Once you make it a time or two, you’ll probably feel the same way. It’s so easy, but it tastes like something you worked hard for!

Tuna pasta ingredients

whole-grain spaghetti
extra virgin olive oil
shredded carrots
green onions
mushrooms
sweet peas
canned tuna
1% milk
Kosher salt and pepper

Recipe components

Vegetables

I like to load up vegetables, when possible. For this recipe, I love the flavors and textures of carrots, green onions, portobello mushrooms, and sweet peas.

Pasta

A whole-grain spaghetti noodle works very well for this recipe because it has added fiber and nutrients, and it holds up better during the simmering process.

Sauce

We’re keeping it light with this sauce by using a 1% milk and pasta water, which adds starch to the sauce as a natural thickener.

Tuna

Then, of course, there’s the tuna, which I like to use a water-packed tuna instead of oil-packed. However, either will work great for this recipe.

My favorite pasta sauce hack

As I mentioned above, the sauce in this recipe relies on one of my favorite kitchen hacks for cooking pasta. Basically, we hold back some of the pasta water (after cooking it) to use as an ingredient in the sauce.

This helps knock down the calories and sodium found in classic tuna pasta sauce from canned cream of mushroom soup.

How to make tuna pasta

* see full recipe below

Step 1. Boil the pasta noodles to al dente. Then drain, but reserve 1 cup of pasta water to use in the sauce. Set the noodles aside to prepare the dish.

Step 2. Saute the carrots and green onions until tender.

shredded carrots and sliced green onions in skillet

Step 3. Add the portobello mushrooms

shredded carrots, sliced green onions, and sliced portobello mushrooms in skillet

Step 4. Add the milk, pasta water, seasonings, and pasta. Then simmer to heat everything. Your tuna pasta will be ready to devour!

Recommended tools

chef’s knife
cutting board
3.5 quart stainless sauce pot (to boil noodles)
colander (to drain noodles)
silicone tongs or spatula (to stir things up)
large nonstick skillet (to sauté veggies)
air-tight storage containers (for leftovers)

Grab these easy 30-minute recipes

Skillet Tuna Pasta

Skillet Tuna Pasta Recipe is a veggie-loaded tuna pasta that's on the table in 30. This easy, canned tuna recipe uses spaghetti noodles, everyday vegetables, and a light cream sauce. Whole grain noodles add fiber and nutrition to this busy weeknight tuna pasta!

5 from 15 votes

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Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 1-cup servings

Author: Traci – TheKitchenGirl.com

Ingredients

4 oz Whole Grain Spaghetti
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 cup Carrots shredded
2 Green Onions chopped
1 Portobello Mushroom 1/4" thick slices
1 cup Frozen Peas thawed
1 7 oz can Tuna drained
1/2 cup 1% Milk
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper

Instructions

Cook PASTA according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, transfer cooked pasta to a colander, rinse with cool water, drain, and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat OLIVE OIL in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add CARROTS and GREEN ONIONS; sauté until tender, stirring as needed (about 4 min).
Add MUSHROOMS; sauté until tender, stirring as needed (2-3 min).
Gently fold in PEAS, TUNA, ALMOND MILK, 1/2 of the RESERVED PASTA WATER, cooked PASTA, SALT, and PEPPER.
Reduce heat to LOW and simmer (about 5 min) until liquids have cooked down into a light, creamy sauce, stirring as needed, adding more pasta water as needed to adjust consistency.

Tried this recipe? I’d love your review!Visit the comments below and tell me how it went.

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The Kitchen Girl

Recipe author and food photographer at The Kitchen Girl

I'm on a mission to help you eat healthy AND save money through simple, everyday recipes, product reviews, and budget-friendly kitchen tips.

Skillet Tuna Pasta

Skillet Tuna Pasta