We love this tuna pasta with garlic, sundried tomatoes, anchovies and chili peppers. It is made with jarred tuna packed in olive oil and everyday pantry ingredients for an extra quick, delicious weeknight dinner.
If you love this Garlic Chili Tuna Pasta, you will also love this Quick Burst Tomato Pasta With Halloumi, One-Pot Pasta With Cherry Tomatoes or Orzo Pasta With Tomatoes And Parmesan!
Why this recipe sings
Here is what you need
- Spaghetti pasta. Of course, our tuna pasta sauce can be enjoyed with bucatini, penne, rigatoni, or whatever you have in your pantry.
- Tuna. This recipe works best with canned tuna in olive oil. The olive oil will cook the sauce, adding so much flavor! If you only have tuna in water, don’t despair! See our tips and recipe notes on how to use it successfully.
- Anchovies. They are a secret weapon for seasoning.
- Garlic. You can tune up or down the amount of garlic you like in this recipe.
- Chili peppers. You can use fresh or dried chilies. Substitute with a teaspoon of chili flakes, or slice a jalapeno instead.
- Sundried tomatoes. For an extra savory bite.
- White wine. It is always great for giving flavor to sauces. The alcohol evaporates during cooking. Substitute with an equal amount of preferred broth.
- Lemon zest. For brightness.
- Potato Chips. Yes, you read this correctly. We sprinkle crumbled salty potato chips all over the pasta as a finishing touch. Yum!
- Extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper.
How to make Garlic Chili Tuna Pasta
Place a large pot of water on high heat, add plenty of sea salt, and bring to a boil.
Slice the chili peppers and chop the garlic. Roughly chop the sundried tomatoes. Flake the tuna into large chunks. Pour the olive oil into a small bowl.
Add the olive oil from the can to a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, chili peppers, and anchovies, and saute for one minute.
Add the white wine and deglaze the pan. Add in the sundried tomatoes and stir.
Transfer the spaghetti directly to the pan with tongs. Toss over medium heat to combine for two minutes.
Zest a whole lemon on the spaghetti and toss lightly with the sauce.
Flake the tuna and add on top and toss. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
Drizzle a little olive oil, add the crumbled potato chips, toss, and serve immediately.
Tips
This recipe works best with tuna in olive oil. There is a great solution if you only have tuna in water in your pantry. Drain it carefully from all the water. Put the tuna in a bowl and add plenty of extra virgin olive oil and some fresh basil if you have it. If you can, let it sit in the oil for an hour. The olive oil and basil will infuse the tuna with their delicate flavor.
What to eat with Garlic chili tuna pasta
There are a few dishes you can add to your table to transform this delicious tuna spaghetti into a feast.
- Crusty bread. Greeks never miss bread from their table. We use it to push our food onto the fork as well as a vehicle for sauces.
- A large leafy salad. Maroulosalata-Greek lettuce salad is a great companion to seafood pasta.
- Veggie fritters. Our tomato, zucchini, and chickpea fritters pair perfectly with this dish.
olive oil guide
Everything You Wanted To Know About Olive Oil
Olive oil is an essential ingredient in the Greek cuisine. Greece is one of the largest producers of olive oil in the world. Learn a bit of its history, harvest, production, and how to choose the right olive oil for your recipes.
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Garlic Chili Tuna Pasta
Ingredients
- 6 oz spaghetti or bucatini
- 6.5 oz tuna in olive oil
- 2 tablespoons sundried tomatoes in olive oil
- ½ cup white wine
- ¼ cup potato chips crushed
- 3 garlic cloves sliced
- 6 anchovies
- 2 chili peppers
- 1 lemon zested
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt
- freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Place a large pot of water on high heat, add plenty of sea salt and bring to a boil.
- Slice the chili peppers and the garlic into thin slices. Roughly chop the sundried tomatoes.Flake the tuna into large chunks. Pour the olive oil into a small bowl.
- Place one tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet on high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the breadcrumbs, stir, and toast until golden. Place the breadcrumbs on a plate and set aside for later.
- Add the olive oil from the can to a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, chili peppers, and anchovies, and saute for one minute. Add in the sundried tomatoes and pour the white wine.Deglaze the pan.
- Transfer the spaghetti directly to the pan with tongs. Toss over medium heat to combine for 2 minutes. Add the tuna to the pan.Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Drizzle a little olive oil.
- Add the crumbled chips, toss and serve immediately.
Notes
- This recipe works best with tuna in olive oil. There is a great solution if you only have tuna in water in your pantry. Drain it carefully from all the water. Put the tuna in a bowl and add plenty of extra virgin olive oil and some fresh basil if you have it. If you can, let it sit in the oil for an hour. The olive oil and basil will infuse the tuna with their delicate flavor.
- Drizzle some of the sundried tomatoes oil into the finished dish for a burst of flavor.
The simplicity of this recipe is fantastic and the fresh thyme, peppers and sun dried tomatoes lend wonderfully bright flavor as well as pleasing to look at. A great quick dinner. Thanks!
My first attempt to making this Tuna combination with pasta. This is definitely a Happy meal for my family. Love the Sun dried tomatoes and olive combinations too.
This is a perfect meal to make in a pinch. It’s hearty and satisfying and so accessible too. Love tossing in tuna with some pasta..looks delish!
This recipe adds so much flavor to spaghetti pasta. I love the fresh flavors together with the tuna and simple sauce.
This spaghetti is so good!! I always have all of these ingredients on hand, so it’s such a great last minute weeknight dinner 🙂
I love how simple, fresh, and light this pasta dish is. It’s perfect for lunch or dinner. It went amazing with a caesar salad! The capers made the dish for me!
This tuna pasta sounds so delicious and fresh! We love a good stovetop meal during the summer when it’s too hot to turn on the oven, so I can’t wait to give this a try.
Love how simple and easy this is to make and the flavors are just spot on! Sun dried tomatoes are so refreshing in the recipe. So easy to put this dish together!
The sun-dried tomatoes give this dish a delicious and rich touch. So flavorful and easy to prepare, it became a favorite at home!
I actually used canned salmon instead of tuna in this pasta and my family loved it!