Tuna Pasta

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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 simmers, prepare a quick side dish like Olive Garden salad or Kale Avocado Salad to complement it.

Tuna pasta in a skillet with peas and cheese, creating a savory and hearty meal.

Cheesy Tuna Pasta

Growing up, my mom frequently made a creamy tuna casserole; it was one of my favorite meals. Her version, quite different from this one, used cream of mushroom soup as the base, and we usually had it over rice.

I wanted to create a dish similar to that one but with a more nutritious twist (no cream of mushroom soup) and make it even more simple.

This Cheesy Tuna Pasta is made in just one skillet and requires minimal preparation (no veggie chopping, like this Chicken Noodle Casserole!). It’s perfect for a busy night!

Combining noodles, water, milk, and seasonings, bringing to a boil, adding cheese, then peas, and warming through.

Ingredients

  • Miniature Penne Pasta: Small, tube-shaped pasta that serves as the base of the dish. 
  • Tuna Packed in Olive Oil: Adds protein and a rich, savory flavor.
  • Whole Milk and Water: These liquids cook the pasta and form the base of the sauce.
  • Unsalted Butter: Adds richness and helps in creating a smooth sauce.
  • Seasonings (Dry Mustard Powder, Paprika, Roasted Garlic Powder): Contribute depth and amazing flavor.
  • Sharp Cheddar Cheese: Melts into the dish, providing a creamy texture and tangy cheese flavor.
  • Frozen Peas: Add a pop of color and a sweet, fresh taste to your tuna pasta.
  • Fine Sea Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper: Used for seasoning to enhance the overall flavor.

QUICK TIP

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.

The finished tuna pasta recipe in a skillet, with a spoon scooping up a portion.

How To Make Tuna Pasta

  1. Cook Pasta: In a skillet, mix uncooked pasta, tuna, milk, water, butter, and seasonings. Season with salt and pepper. Boil, then simmer covered until pasta is cooked and liquid is absorbed.
  2. Finish Dish: Off heat, add cheddar cheese and frozen peas, stirring until cheese melts and peas are warm.
  3. Serve: Adjust seasonings and serve hot.

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Tuna Pasta

4.96 from 25 votes
This cheesy and comforting cheesy Tuna Pasta with peas can be made in one skillet and is ready in 30 minutes or less!
Tuna pasta in a skillet with peas and cheese, creating a savory and hearty meal.
Print Recipe

Tuna Pasta

Tuna pasta in a skillet with peas and cheese, creating a savory and hearty meal.
4.96 from 25 votes
This cheesy and comforting cheesy Tuna Pasta with peas can be made in one skillet and is ready in 30 minutes or less!
Course Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword tuna pasta
Prep Time 7 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 22 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Chelsea Lords
Calories 692kcal
Cost $5.76

Equipment

  • 10-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 sauce

Instructions

  • PREP: 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 Notes

Note 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 Facts

Serving: 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.

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Recipe Rating




44 Comments

  1. 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!

  2. 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!

    1. 5 stars
      Hehe I totally agree! I made it today and me and my bf couldnt get enough! It was so yummy! 🙂

  3. 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!

  4. 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!

  5. I’m going to try this with gluten free pasta, as we are a family of celiacs and gluten intolerant.

  6. 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. 🙂

    1. 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!

  7. 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.

  8. 5 stars
    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!

  9. 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.

    1. 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!

  10. 5 stars
    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.

  11. 5 stars
    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!

    1. SO happy to hear that! 🙂 Thank you so much for the comment and I hope you love whatever you try next!

  12. 5 stars
    Made the recipe tonight for my family! Pretty quick and easy. With it being super tasty. Glad I came across this recipe when searching.

  13. 4 stars
    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.

  14. 5 stars
    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

  15. 5 stars
    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?

    1. 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!

  16. 5 stars
    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.

  17. 5 stars
    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.

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