Pasta with Tuna and Arugula

Quick, easy, and surprisingly delicious, pasta with wilted arugula and a sauce made of olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes and canned tuna.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated March 18, 2022
Elise Bauer
Pasta with Tuna and Arugula
Elise Bauer

Best use of canned tuna ever! I first read about this classic Italian tuna arugula pasta recipe years ago in the San Francisco Chronicle, in Putting the heat on late-winter salad greens by Janet Fletcher. It has since become one of my favorite quick and easy go-to dinners.

All you need is canned tuna (packed in olive oil), garlic, extra virgin olive oil, chili pepper flakes, baby arugula, and pasta.

You make a simple sauce with with olive oil, garlic, chili flakes, and tuna, and then toss it with the hot cooked pasta and greens. The arugula will wilt in the heat of the pasta.

Pasta with Tuna and Arugula
Elise Bauer

If you don't have arugula, you can substitute fresh baby spinach to a similar effect. So easy! You can have dinner ready in just a minute longer than it takes to make the pasta.

Pasta with Tuna and Arugula

Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Total Time 25 mins
Servings 4 servings

While you are heating the pasta water, prep the ingredients.

This recipe requires tuna canned in olive oil. Tuna canned in water just doesn't work well with this recipe. If water canned tuna is your only option, drain it, and soak it in half a cup of good quality olive oil for an hour first.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 pound (12 ounces) dried fettuccine, spaghetti or linguine

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (more to taste)

  • 2 6-ounce cans tuna packed in olive oil, drained

  • Salt

  • 5 to 8 ounces baby arugula

Method

  1. Cook pasta:

    Bring a large pot of salted water (1 Tbsp salt for every 2 quarts of water) to a rolling boil. Add the pasta, return to a rolling boil, and boil uncovered until the pasta is al dente, cooked, but still a little firm to the bite.

  2. Cook garlic and red pepper flakes in olive oil; add tuna, salt:

    While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet on medium-low heat. Add the garlic and hot pepper flakes and cook until garlic is fragrant.

    pasta-tuna-arugula-method-1
    Elise Bauer
    pasta-tuna-arugula-method-3
    Elise Bauer

    Add the tuna and shred it into fine flakes with a fork. Season with salt. Keep warm over low heat.

  3. Set aside a cup of pasta water:

    Just before the pasta is ready, set aside 1 cup of boiling water. You'll need this to add back to the pasta dish to keep it from getting too dry.

  4. Combine pasta with tuna mixture, arugula, and some pasta water:

    Drain the pasta and depending on the size of your pan, either add it to the skillet with the tuna, or return the pasta to the pasta pot and add the tuna mixture to the pasta.

    pasta-tuna-arugula-method-4
    Elise Bauer
    pasta-tuna-arugula-method-5
    Elise Bauer

    Add the arugula and use tongs to toss together with the pasta and tuna. Add some of the hot reserved pasta water to help loosen the pasta.

    The arugula will wilt as you toss the pasta and tuna with it. Add more pasta water as needed.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
428 Calories
21g Fat
28g Carbs
30g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 428
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 21g 27%
Saturated Fat 3g 17%
Cholesterol 15mg 5%
Sodium 515mg 22%
Total Carbohydrate 28g 10%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 30g
Vitamin C 6mg 29%
Calcium 80mg 6%
Iron 3mg 16%
Potassium 392mg 8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.