As you age, cooking can become more challenging, especially with conditions like arthritis or being unable to be on your feet for a long time. Although gourmet meals might be out of the question, we know of several easy and healthy meals you can make for yourself and visitors.
Creamy Tuna Pasta is a recipe that can easily serve 4-5 people, meaning you can make it for guests or save the rest to reheat for future lunches and dinners. It can be adjusted to fit a vegetarian diet, as well as adjusted to be gluten or dairy-free. It’s quick and easy, and while it does require a little sautéing, it only requires about 20 minutes on your feet.
Like most of our recipes, it is naturally mild, but you can add additional ingredients to up the spice level if you prefer!
Ingredients for Creamy Tuna Pasta:
- 1 yellow onion diced (can buy pre-diced in the deli section at the grocery store)
- 2 small zucchinis, diced (can buy pre-diced)
- 1-2 red bell peppers, diced (can buy pre-diced)
- 1 can of tuna (omit if you want to make it vegetarian)
- 1 package of pre-sliced mushrooms
- 1 jar of pitted green olives
- 1 container of cream fraiche (we used the dairy-free one)
- 1 small jar of green pesto (check for a dairy-free one if on a dairy-free diet!)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 box penne pasta (swap for gluten-free pasta if necessary)
**If cutting is hard for you, and you can’t find the vegetables on this list pre-diced, you can swap the zucchini and bell pepper for canned diced tomatoes or canned peas and carrots. It won’t taste as fresh, but it will still be delicious!
Other Optional Ingredients:
- ¼ jar capers (if you like a little kick!)
- Diced tomatoes (fresh or from a jar!)
How to Make Creamy Tuna Pasta
Cut the zucchini, bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms if you weren’t able to buy pre-diced. Set aside.
Boil water in a medium-sized saucepan and add the pasta. Keep an eye on the pasta while you work on the veggies. If you can’t manage two pans at once, the pasta can be completely cooked and set aside while you work on the rest of the recipe.
Place diced onion in a wok or skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil and sauté for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.
Add the mushrooms to the skillet, sautéing for 2-3 minutes.
Add the zucchini and bell peppers to the skillet, stirring occasionally until the zucchini starts to soften. Usually about 5 minutes. If you were unable to dice these and swapped them for canned ingredients, skip this step.
Drain the can of tuna, adding just the meat to the skillet, stirring to mix it in with the veggies.
Once well mixed, add the entire container of cream fraiche and the jar of pesto, mixing well.
After the sauce has been mixed, drain the jar of olives and add to the pan. If you are using any canned veggies, add them now.
Allow the sauce to simmer. Once it begins bubbling, pour it on top of the pasta and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Variations of Creamy Tuna Pasta
- Add capers to give the pasta a little kick!
- Omit the tuna, making creamy veggie pasta only.
- Use red pesto instead of green to switch things up a little.
Tips for Creamy Tuna Pasta
- Divide the Work: If you have a partner, it can be helpful for one of you to focus on sautéing while the other does any chopping that needs to be done. If you are alone, do all the chopping while the pasta cooks to keep things simple.
- Mix the Pasta with the Sauce: If you cooked your pasta in advance and set it aside to cool, you’ll want to combine the pasta and sauce before serving to re-warm the pasta.
- Add Italian Seasoning: If you are used to recipes with lots of flavors, add a tablespoon of Italian seasoning during the simmering step.
What to Serve With Creamy Tuna Pasta
We usually serve it just as is, as it’s quite filling on its own! But if you need something more, a loaf of garlic bread from the bakery (easily heated in the oven) can help make this meal a bit larger. It also goes well with a green salad.
How to Store Creamy Tuna Pasta
Put any leftovers in an airtight plastic or glass container and store them in the fridge. Refrigerated pasta stays fresh for 5-7 days. Anything you won’t eat in that time period can be frozen and served up to one month later.
How to Reheat Creamy Tuna Pasta
Put refrigerated pasta on a microwave-safe plate and microwave on high for 3-5 minutes or until warm, stirring halfway through. For frozen pasta, you’ll need to microwave for much longer, sometimes up to 10 minutes.
Recipe Card
Creamy Tuna Pasta
Yield: 4-5 Servings
Time: 30 minutes (10 minutes prep, 20 minutes cook time)
Directions:
1. Boil water in a medium saucepan, adding the pasta once boiling. Keep an eye on the pasta while you cook, draining it and setting it aside once done.
2. Dice any vegetables you couldn’t buy pre-diced while the pasta cooks.
3. Add the onions to a saucepan with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
4. Sauté the onion for 2-3 minutes until golden brown.
5. Add the mushrooms, sautéing for 2-3 minutes.
6. Add the bell pepper and zucchini, sautéing for 5 minutes more or until zucchini looks softened.
7. Drain the can of tuna and add the meat to the pan.
8. Add the cream fraiche and pesto sauce, stirring well.
9. Drain the jar of olives and add to the pan, stirring until mixed.
10. Add a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of pepper, mixing well.
11. Keep the sauce on the heat until it starts to simmer, then remove from the heat.
12. Add the sauce to plates of pasta and serve!
Check out more of our awesome recipes:
