Peas are totally underrated. They’re inexpensive, easy to cook or add to recipes, and packed with both protein and fiber. So they’re an excellent item to keep on hand in your freezer to whip up quick and easy dinners, like this Creamy Tuna Pasta with Peas. You only need a few ingredients, about 20 minutes, and you’ll have this warm, comforting dinner that will be equally as good the next day for lunch!
Want more tuna recipes? Check out my tuna recipe archives!
What Type of Canned Tuna Should I Use?
I’m going to admit that I sprung for the more expensive “solid” canned tuna for this recipe so that I could have some larger chunks of tuna meat throughout. You can use “chunk light” tuna, which tends to be more flaky and shredded, which should bring the cost of this recipe down a bit.
What Type of Parmesan is Best?
For some strange reason I couldn’t find basic grated Parmesan in the store today (seriously, where were they hiding it??) so I hand shredded a wedge of Parmesan that I had bought from Aldi a while back. Wedge Parmesan is more expensive and melts better than grated Parmesan, but grated Parmesan is totally doable in this recipe if that’s what is available to you. It may not melt as smoothly, but it will still be yuuuuumy!
Creamy Tuna Pasta with Peas
Servings 4 about 2 cups eachIngredients
- 8 oz. pasta ($0.67)
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.26)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 1 cup frozen peas ($0.38)
- 1 cup half and half* ($0.75)
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan ($0.95)
- 12 oz. can solid Albacore tuna, drained ($2.79)
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Once boiling, add the pasta and continue to boil until the pasta is tender. Drain the pasta in a colander.
- While the pasta is cooking, prepare the rest of the dish. Add the butter and minced garlic to a large skillet. Sauté the garlic over medium heat for about one minute, or just until it is soft and fragrant, but not browned.
- Add the frozen peas and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté for a couple minutes more, or until the peas are heated through.
- Add the half and half to the skillet and allow it to come up to a simmer, stirring frequently to keep a skin from forming on the surface or the bottom from scorching. Let the half and half simmer for about 3-5 minutes, or just until it reduces slightly.
- At this point the pasta should be finished and drained. Add the drained pasta to the skillet and stir to combine. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the pasta and stir to combine again. Allow the heat to melt the Parmesan as you stir. Once melted, turn the heat off. Taste the pasta and add a pinch of salt and pepper, if needed.
- Finally, add the drained tuna and fold it into the pasta. If you are using whole tuna chunks, break them up slightly as you stir. If you are using chunk light tuna that is already in small pieces, fold gently to avoid breaking the tuna up too much. Serve warm!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Tuna Pasta – Step by Step Photos
Begin cooking 8 oz. of pasta first, because you’ll be able to prepare the rest of the dish in the time it takes to cook the pasta. While your pasta is boiling, add 2 Tbsp butter and 2 cloves of garlic, minced, to a large skillet. Sauté the garlic over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, or just until it is soft and fragrant, but not brown.
Add one cup of frozen peas and a pinch of salt and pepper to the skillet. Continue to sauté over medium for a few minutes, or just until the peas are heated through.
Add 1 cup half and half and allow it to come up to a simmer. Allow the half and half to simmer for a few minutes, stirring frequently, so that it reduces slightly. Make sure to stir as it simmers to prevent a skin from forming on top and to prevent the bottom from scorching.
At this point the pasta should be finished cooking. Once drained, add the cooked pasta to the skillet and stir to combine with the cream and peas.
Add the Parmesan and stir to combine. The heat from the pasta and cream will begin to melt the Parmesan. Keep stirring until it is fairly smooth, then turn the heat off. Give it a taste and add another pinch of salt and pepper, if desired.
Finally, add a drained 12 oz. can of tuna. Stir to combine. If your tuna is in whole pieces like mine, you can break it up a bit as you stir. If you’re using tuna that is closer to a shredded consistency, fold it in gently to make sure it doesn’t disintegrate and disappear into the pasta.
And that’s a wrap! You quick and easy Creamy Tuna Pasta with Peas and Parmesan is ready to eat!
Dinner doesn’t have to be difficult. :)
My whole family loves this recipe! I love it also because it’s so simple and quick to make. I’ve made it 3 times so far, once with albacore, once using chunk lite & once using grated over shredded. I didn’t notice a difference between the cheese but I definitely like the albacore best. This is the perfect meal when you don’t want to spend the evening cooped up in the kitchen but want to serve your family a wholesome, hot and homemade dish. I definitely could sit down and eat the entire dish by myself! lol
I tried this and it came out soooo good! I’ve never made a creamy pasta before, but the instructions were simple and easy to follow for someone relatively new to cooking on their own. Im gonna go back for seconds!
For those trying to make this with milk instead of heavy cream:
I added 1 Tbsp of flour to the butter / garlic / pea mixture and let it bubble for about 2 minutes before adding the milk (2% worked for me); I then treated it just like a white sauce made from a roux and let it simmer for a few minutes until it thickened. I also increased the parmesan (I used grated because it’s what I had) to 3/4c. The sauce was actually thicker and clung better to the noodles than it did when I made it with the heavy cream!
I actually don’t like tuna very much so I was hesitant to try this one when it came up in my meal plan rotation. I’m so glad I didn’t chicken out (pun intended) and swap the tuna for canned chicken! I used solid white albacore tuna packed in water from Trader Joe’s; it’s about $2.50 per 5oz can so it’s a little more expensive, but I only use 10 oz instead of 12, and it’s worth it for something that doesn’t taste overly tuna-y to me. This dish is packed with protein and it keeps me full for a long time – perfect for an easy, relatively-cheap meal!
This was honestly not very good. :( I tried adding a lot more salt, pepper, and even some garlic powder, and it was still bland. I also added more parmesan on top of the dish afterwards and it was still super bland.
I’ve made sauces very similar to this, but this one just would not come together. (I used the same good cheese I use in my other sauces and it works fine.) Full points for a cheap meal that’s edible and filling. Only one star for flavor, though.
Absolutely delicious, added a bit of cayenne pepper because my husband NEEDS spice, and it was delicious!
This is delicious. The only thing I did was add a shallot and used shaved Parmesan cheese. This is a keeper. Thank you.
Tasty and filling comfort dish but mine ended up looking like a big sticky lump :(
Is there a way to use mayo and/or greek yogurt in place of the half and half? Lactose free half and half is really expensive
We haven’t tried that but you could certainly give it a shot!
I just made it with Greek yogurt and it’s delicious. I just didn’t cook it too long with the yogurt
Love it 😍
My kid was used to ragu+spaghetti/rigatoni+ tuna. Yep.. it taste good, and now a lot of ppl love my husband’s recipe.
Today we got Pasta Del Mare, organic artisan pasta and wanted to make something quick and yummy on this hot day, thank goodness I found this recipe. Love how it is explained.
My kid loves broccoli more than peas, so 🥦 it was. Yummy!!!!!!! Definitely a keeper. Thank you ☺️
This recipe is great. I’ve made it exactly as written several times. But just in case this might inspire someone, when I made it yesterday I stirred in an odd amount of leftover homemade pesto that I didn’t want to go bad, and that took this to the NEXT LEVEL! Absolutely delicious recipe that we’ll make again and again.
My kids are ravenous now that they’re home 24/7 & begged for lunch today an hour before I was ready to cook. After looking in the fridge & pantry, & seeing what I had ready to work with I googled “spaghetti & tuna” . This recipe was one of the first to pop up, I had all the ingredients so I figured why not? My kids couldn’t fathom the idea of tuna & spaghetti together & protested the entire time I was cooking. I had to swap out the peas for canned green beans, but it all came together in under 10 minutes & to everyone’s surprise was absolutely delicious. I will definitely be adding this one to rotation. Thank you!!!
CAN THIS BE SERVED CHILLED AS A SIDE FOR A BURGER OR SANDWICH?
I don’t see why not! Sounds delicious.
Can we substitute half and half for almond milk? My hubby is lactose intolerant
We haven’t tested it that way but almond milk isn’t quite as creamy. I’d recommend swapping with unsweetened canned coconut milk.
Our supermarket just started carrying Organic Valley lactose-free half-and-half, we use it all the time now.
Quick and simple to make. Made the mistake of adding the tuna to the cream sauce before the pasta and the tuna sucked up all the sauce :( Will attempt again and be sure to add the pasta before the tuna :)
I didnt have any half and half so I used 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/4 cup water mixed together and it worked great. Just fyi for anyone who doesnt have the half n half.