Easy and cheap spaghetti tuna puttanesca recipe – a quick 20-minute pasta packed with flavor and perfect for busy weeknights.
If you want a quick and super tasty pasta dish, this spaghetti tuna puttanesca is just what you need!
It’s a fun twist on the classic Italian pasta alla puttanesca, a traditional recipe from Naples that’s full of bold and salty flavors.
Traditionally, puttanesca sauce is made with tomatoes, red chili, garlic, olives, capers, and anchovies.
But in my family version, I swap the anchovies for canned tuna. It’s still super savory, rich in protein, just as satisfying and totally pantry-friendly!
This pasta tuna puttanesca is perfect for busy days when you’re super hungry but don’t want to spend much time cooking.
It’s simple, cheap, fast, and full of ingredients you probably already have at home. And guess what? It's ready in just about 20 minutes!
Just like bucatini pomodoro, spaghetti all carrettiera, pasta alla norma, pasta alla Norcina, and the legendary pasta e fagioli, it's perfect as a weeknight meal, with family or friends, both for lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
Here are my ingredient suggestions to make the most flavorful tuna puttanesca pasta:
- Pasta: Go for high-quality spaghetti, preferably Gragnano IGP. Look for bronze-die cut pasta for that rough texture that holds the sauce beautifully. You can also use penne, rigatoni, fusilli or mafaldine pasta.
- Tomatoes: For the best taste, I use canned San Marzano tomatoes. You can also go for canned cherry tomatoes or passata. If it’s tomato season, fresh cherry tomatoes work great too!
- Chili: Use freshly chopped red chili or chili flakes like I did. If you’re not into spicy food, feel free to leave it out—it’s totally optional!
- Olives: Use Gaeta or Kalamata olives for their rich, tangy flavor. Make sure they’re pitted for easier eating.
- Capers: Choose salt-preserved capers if you can — they have a deeper flavor than the ones in brine. Just remember to rinse them well to remove salt in excess.
- Garlic: You can use garlic whole and remove it later for a subtle touch, or finely chop it for a bolder flavor. If you’re not a garlic fan, finely chopped onion is a great alternative.
- Tuna: I recommend canned tuna in olive oil for a richer taste, or tuna in brined water.
- Herbs: I like to add fresh basil leaves to the sauce and freshly chopped parsley before serving to brighten everything up.
How to make tuna puttanesca
The best thing about this tuna puttanesca recipe? It’s surprisingly easy and quick to make!
Here below is the step-by-step recipe overview with pictures.
Scroll until the end of the post for the full printable recipe.
STEP 4. Sauté garlic, chilli flakes, olives and capers over low heat for a few minutes.
STEP 4. Stir in the tomatoes and basil, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. In the final few minutes, add the canned tuna and stir to combine.
Cooking tip: I like to cut the tomatoes in half and remove the seeds before use. Tomato seeds might add bitterness to the sauce.
STEP 4. Cook pasta until al dente, about 2 minutes before the suggested cooking time
STEP 4. Toss the pasta with the puttanesca sauce. Garnish with parsley and black pepper, then serve.
Storage tips
Store leftover puttanesca tuna pasta in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The flavors actually deepen overnight, making leftovers even tastier!
For the best flavor and texture, I recommend reheating the pasta in a pan with a splash of water or olive oil over low heat. Stir gently to bring back the sauce’s texture.
Did you try this recipe?
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Recipe
Spaghetti Tuna Puttanesca
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- 150 g pitted black olives, approx 5.3 oz
- 2 teaspoons salt-preserved capers, well rinsed
- ½ teaspoon red chili pepper flakes, optional
- 420 g whole canned San Marzano tomatoes, 1x 14.5 oz (420 g) can
- 2 basil leaves
- 280 g canned tuna chunks, approx 2x 5oz (140 g) cans, well drained
- 380 g spaghetti pasta, approx 13 oz
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
- sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large skillet, pour in the olive oil and sauté the garlic cloves, black olives, well-rinsed capers, and optional red chili flakes over low heat for a couple of minutes.
- Stir in the whole San Marzano tomatoes and fresh basil leaves. Use the back of a wooden spoon to gently break the tomatoes into chunks. Cover the pan and let the sauce simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes. In the last few minutes of cooking, discard the garlic, add the canned tuna and stir well. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Meanwhile, bring a large port of lightly salted water to a boil, then add the spaghetti and cook according to the package directions.
- Drain the pasta 2 minutes before the suggested cooking time, for al dente pasta.
- Add the drained spaghetti to the tuna puttanesca sauce and stir all the ingredients. Top with chopped parsley leaves and freshly cracked black pepper if desired, and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Julie says
Thank you for this tuna puttanesca recipe Andrea! I made it for dinner and it’s as traditional as it gets but with an extra flavor kick coming from the tuna chunks, the only change I made was using tomato passata instead of whole canned tomatoes (that’s what I had), overall my family loved it and asked me when I am making it again!