Home > Dinner > Cheesy Tuna Pasta Cheesy Tuna Pasta August 5, 2019 | 44 Comments SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Jump to Recipe This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. This cheesy and comforting Cheesy Tuna Pasta with peas can be made in one skillet and is ready in 30 minutes or less! While the pasta is simmering, whip together a quick side dish. This Olive Garden salad or kale avocado salad would pair nicely with this pasta and tuna dish. Cheesy Tuna Pasta Growing up, my mom frequently made a creamy tuna casserole; it was one of my favorite meals. Her version is quite a bit different than this one; she used cream of mushroom soup for the base and we usually had it over rice. Luckily, everyone else in the family loved it and the dish was easy to prepare (so Mom loved it). Needless to say, we ate that tuna-rice dish often. I wanted to make a dish close to that one, but with a healthier twist (no cream of mushroom soup) and simplified a bit. This Cheesy Tuna Pasta is made in just one skillet, with extremely streamlined preparation (no veggie chopping!). It’s great for a busy night, and with school starting up again, I’m sure every parent could use a dinner recipe like this one! What Pan To Use For Cheesy Tuna Pasta To ensure pasta and/or tuna don’t stick to the bottom of the pan, it’s important to use a nonstick skillet. Make sure the skillet has a fitted lid. I use a 10-inch, 3-quart (2.8-liter) nonstick skillet with a fitted lid for this recipe. (If you’re curious, here’s the exact pan used in this recipe). Too big or too small of a skillet, and you may experience some uneven cooking on this Cheesy Tuna Pasta. What Pasta To Use To ensure everything is cooked through evenly and within the time suggested in the instructions, you’ll want to use small pasta. For this Cheesy Tuna Pasta, I use miniature penne pasta (even though the pictures make it look regular-sized!). I also tested this recipe with small shells and elbows, both of which worked well, but the penne is definitely our favorite. Barilla® makes miniature penne pasta, which is usually the brand we use (not sponsored). Whatever pasta you choose, make sure the pasta can be cooked in 6-8 minutes and it should work in this dish! Cheesy Tuna Pasta tips Use good-quality ingredients: I like a good olive oil-packed tuna fish (Genova® is my favorite; not sponsored). Make sure to thoroughly drain the tuna before adding it to the skillet. I do this in a fine mesh sieve/strainer. Seasonings go a long way! There is no onion or garlic in this dish (we’re emphasizing quick prep!) so you’ll want to make sure to add the suggested seasonings and then adjust to personal preference. If you’re missing the onion flavor, try adding 1/2 to 1 full teaspoon of onion powder. Add freshly grated cheese. To avoid clumping, I like to freshly grate the cheese (packaged grated cheese has a cellulose coating that keeps it from melting as smoothly). I also highly recommend sharp or extra-sharp Cheddar for maximum flavor. QUICK TIP If you don’t feel this Cheesy Tuna Pasta recipe has enough flavor, you may just be missing salt and/or pepper; don’t forget to add more as needed! Keep in mind that the pasta hasn’t been cooked in salted water, so it does need a good amount of seasoning. Add salt and pepper until the flavors “sing.” You can also add some freshness and flavor with some lemon zest or lemon juice. Dijon mustard is another great complementary flavor. Fresh herbs, like Italian parsley, can also add a lot to Cheesy Tuna Pasta. More One Pot Dinner Recipes: Lemon chicken and potatoes with carrots One Pot Cheesy Taco Pasta Quinoa Chili with sweet potatoes and black beans One Pot pesto chicken tortellini reader’s favorite recipe! Easy Chicken Burrito Bowls in one pot with a cilantro-lime sauce FOLLOW ALONG! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates, recipes and content. Cheesy Tuna Pasta 4.96 from 25 votes - Review this recipe This cheesy and comforting Cheesy Tuna Pasta with peas can be made in one skillet and ready in 30 minutes or less! SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Cheesy Tuna Pasta 4.96 from 25 votes - Review this recipe SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe This cheesy and comforting Cheesy Tuna Pasta with peas can be made in one skillet and ready in 30 minutes or less! Course Dinner, Main Course Cuisine American Keyword Cheesy Tuna Pasta, tuna pasta Prep Time 7 minutes minutes Cook Time 15 minutes minutes Total Time 22 minutes minutes Servings 4 servings Chelsea Lords Calories 692kcal Author Chelsea Lords Cost $5.76 Equipment10-inch nonstick skillet with fitted lid Ingredients▢ 2 cups miniature penne pasta (See Note 1)▢ 1 can (5 oz) tuna packed in olive oil▢ 2 cups whole milk (See Note 2)▢ 1 cup water▢ 4 tablespoons unsalted butter▢ ½ teaspoon EACH: dry mustard powder, paprika, roasted garlic powder▢ 2 cups sharp cheddar Cheese (See Note 3)▢ ½ cup frozen peas▢ Fine sea salt and fresh cracked pepper▢ Optional: fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped; hot sauceUS - Metric USMetric InstructionsPREP: Open the tuna and drain thoroughly. Fluff with a fork and set aside.ADD EVERYTHING TO A SKILLET: In a large 10-inch nonstick skillet (3-quart; 2.8-liter), pour in 2 cups of uncooked pasta; the drained tuna; milk, water, butter, and seasonings (dry mustard powder, paprika, garlic powder). Add salt and pepper to taste; I add 1 teaspoon fine sea salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.BOIL: Bring to a boil over high heat, stir, and then cover with the lid. Reduce the heat to low or just a few notches above low to keep the mixture lightly bubbling but not at a rolling boil.SIMMER: Allow to simmer until the pasta is completely cooked through and the liquid has evaporated (about 10-15 minutes, depending on your stovetop heat; check at 10 minutes). During the cooking time, stir the ingredients every 5-7 minutes to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom. While the pasta is simmering, grate the cheese.ADD CHEESE AND PEAS: Once the liquid is absorbed, remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the grated Cheddar cheese until melted. Once melted, add in the frozen peas and stir to warm through.ENJOY: Taste and adjust for any additional seasonings needed. Add salt and pepper to taste as well as any other additional seasonings (more garlic powder, paprika, etc.). Enjoy while hot. If desired, garnish individual plates and freshly chopped parsley and/or a drizzle of hot sauce. Recipe NotesNote 1: Pasta: Check the cooking directions and make sure the pasta you use can be cooked in 6-8 minutes. Note 2: Milk: Skim milk, soy milk, almond milk, etc. were not successful in my recipe testing. Regular dairy milk needs to be used here; I recommend whole milk, but 1% or 2% will work (not skim). Note 3: Cheese: Cheese is a big part of this dish so choose a very flavorful cheese you love. I use and recommend sharp or extra-sharp Cheddar cheese. I recommend freshly grated, as the bagged cheeses can create a waxy texture when melted. Nutrition FactsServing: 4serving | Calories: 692kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 585mg | Potassium: 463mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 2803IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 576mg | Iron: 2mg We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed. DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? I love hearing from you when you've made one of my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @ChelseasMessyApron or leave me a comment below.
This pasta definitely brings me back to my childhood, Chelsea! I loved tuna casserole but didn’t eat it all that often because my mom didn’t like it. I love this one skillet version! Looks fantastic and so full of flavor! Reply
I have never seen something similar, or even close to it, but wow I am intrigued, to use canned tuna in a pasta dish? with cheese and peas, I am sold! Reply
Love your one skillet creations Chelsea! This dish looks awesome and love the combo of tuna and cheese:) Reply
Super random, but this recipe actually reminds me of camping.. I have a campfire tuna recipe that is very similar to this, but I haven’t made the at home version in a while, but I think I’ll just try yours instead! Thanks for sharing Chelsea! Reply
I love this! I should send this recipe to my mom… she always makes tuna casserole, but I’m 99% certain it’s not a one skillet type meal. She’d love it! Reply
I’m going to try this with gluten free pasta, as we are a family of celiacs and gluten intolerant. Reply
I know many are comparing it to tuna casserole, and while it’s similar, this is more like our family’s version of tuna mac growing up. And your childhood inspiration recipe also sounds more like what I grew up with. We would take plain old boxed mac and cheese (with the powder cheese, it worked best), prepare it and add a can of cream of mushroom soup, a can of mushrooms, and a can of tuna. Man it was delicious. I still make it from time to time if I’m feeling super unhealthy and really want some childhood comfort food. This sounds like a much healthier version, lol. I’m going to give it a try. Maybe swap out the peas for mushrooms, to really get my nostalgia going. 🙂 Reply
We used to have one basically the same as you described! 🙂 And yes, SO delicious!! I hope you love this healthier version though! Thanks Krystal! Reply
Can’t wait to try this- reminds me of my childhood. We financially struggled for a few years and I remember my mom often making the cheap Tuna Helper and adding peas to it. I always loved it, but now as an adult with my own family I’d love to make a homemade version myself. Reply
Made this exactly to the recipe (excluded optional paprika) and my family loved it! Tuna mac & cheese is a fav at our house and the recipe I normally use takes twice as long and is not as good as this. It is simple to make, quick and super flavourful! Thank you! Reply
I’ve made this five or six times, now. Dinner, lunch, whatever I need done and out in about half an hour. It has been a reliable winner, so I turned to it tonight. Tonight, it failed me, and I am at a loss why. Rather then the sauce thickening from simmering and adding cheese, the sauce stayed thin and milky, and the cheese adhered to the tuna, creating large mats amidst the noodles. It was weird! I’m hoping letting it sit overnight in the fridge will do something. Reply
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear that! Did you change up any of the ingredients this time? I’m hoping it will set up for you! Reply
This was delicious! I used the mini penne pasta as suggested and left out the paprika, and it was perfect. Such a creamy comforting dish! FYI – I used soy milk and didn’t have any issues. Reply
This was a hit! Made it for my husband and two boys (4 & 2). I have no left overs! We all loved it! I did add the paprika and it was delicious. This is the fastest and most flavourful tuna pasta I have made! Looking forward to trying some of your other recipes! Thank you so must for the recipe! Reply
SO happy to hear that! 🙂 Thank you so much for the comment and I hope you love whatever you try next! Reply
Made the recipe tonight for my family! Pretty quick and easy. With it being super tasty. Glad I came across this recipe when searching. Reply
Hi, I just made this recipe. It was delicious and I’m amazed how easy it was. Thanks very much. Reply
As another reviewer mentioned, the cheese adhered to the tuna instead of thickening the sauce. It tasted good, but made the tuna almost a squishy consistency. I would try it again, but add the tuna after the cheese & peas. Since the tuna is already cooked, it just needs to be heated through. Reply
Tried this recipe the other night and it was soooo easy!! I subed the milk for non-dairy coconut milk and all I had was gf pasta and it all worked just the same!! Easy and soooo goood!! Sprinkled a little lemon pepper on at the end and it was a lovely touch Reply
We loved this dish! I sautéed some onion and bell pepper and celery at the start, and I was short on cheddar so the last 1/2 cup of cheese was fresh Parmesan. It’s a lot for two people; can I freeze it successfully? Reply
Yum! So happy you loved this Tuna Pasta! I haven’t tried freezing this dish yet, with the dairy I’m not certain it will freeze great, however if you do try it let me know what you think! Thanks Laura! Reply
Finally a proper, no hassle tuna pasta recipe. In South Africa we used to get a box named knorr Tuna Mate cheddamelt, just add the wet ingrefients. But it was discontinued a couple of years back and ever since i’ve been looking for a similar easy recipe. Found it, thank you so much. Reply
Great recipe!! So quick and easy and easy to change as needed, I’m going to try adding broccoli next time. I did make a couple of tweaks. Doubled the recipe Swapped the water for chicken broth for more flavor. Added some minced garlic to the pan before the rest of the ingredients and a bit more right before taking it off the heat. And finally added a splash of heavy cream close to the end of cooking to make it a little more saucy. Reply
Amazing! Wanted a quick late night dinner and this was perfect! Ready under 30 mins and super yummy! Reply
