Tuna Alfredo (with Jarred or Homemade Sauce)
This quick and easy recipe for delicious tuna alfredo uses pantry staple ingredients to whip up a simple, flavorful meal in almost no time at all! Chunks of flaky tuna fish pepper al dente fettuccine smothered in a creamy, cheesy sauce. We’ve included options for using jarred alfredo sauce or homemade so you can adapt this recipe based on your grocery budget.
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- Tuna alfredo is a quick and easy meal that comes together in as little as 15 minutes and uses a handful of simple ingredients.
- It’s honestly delicious. The cheesy, creamy alfredo sauce, enhanced with Italian seasoning and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Tender, al dente pasta. Chunks of flaky tuna. You seriously can’t go wrong with this tuna + pasta + alfredo combo.
- In my experience, even the pickiest eaters love this dish. Exactly what you need when you’re short on time and need to avoid a dinner meltdown.
- I’ve included instructions for making this pasta with both jarred alfredo sauce and homemade alfredo sauce. That way, you can adapt the recipe based on your grocery budget and current grocery prices. Flexibility is key!
Chef’s Tips
- Cook the pasta until it’s just al dente, or tender yet still a little firm. Shaving 1-2 minutes off the cook time listed on the pasta packaging should get you there.
- Feel free to replace the fettuccine noodles with any other type of pasta you like – or whatever you have on hand! Penne, rotini, elbow macaroni, shells, linguine, they’ll all work just fine.
- Want to boost the amount of protein in each serving? Make your tuna alfredo with my cottage cheese alfredo sauce. It tastes just like regular alfredo sauce – no one will know there’s cottage cheese in it!
Try These Tuna Recipes, Too!
- Tuna Tetrazzini
- Mexican Tuna Salad
- Canned Tuna Nachos
- Easy Tuna Salad
- Smoked Tuna Dip
- Best Ever Tuna Noodle Casserole (Just Like Mom Made!)
- Tuna Tostadas
Tuna Alfredo (with Jarred or Homemade Sauce)
Creamy, cheesy fettuccine alfredo peppered with chunks of flaky tuna. Jarred and homemade alfredo sauce options included!
- large, heavy-bottomed pot
- wooden spoon
- colander
- Large skillet
- whisk
- tongs
For the Pasta
- 16 cups water
- 1 tablespoon salt (table salt or fine sea salt)
- 1 pound fettuccine
For the Jarred Alfredo Sauce (Skip if Using Homemade Sauce)
- 1 16-ounce jar alfredo sauce
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 large pinch crushed red pepper flakes
For the Homemade Alfredo Sauce (Skip if Using Jarred Sauce)
- ½ cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream (at room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 large pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley (or [adjustable]1[/adjustable] teaspoon dried parsley)
- 2 cups grated parmesan cheese (at room temperature)
For the Tuna
- 2 5-ounce cans chunk light tuna in water (drained well, flaked)
Serving Suggestions (All Optional)
- finely chopped fresh parsley
- baguette (torn into individual portions)
For the Pasta
Fill large pot with [wprm-ingredient text=”16 cups water” uid=”1″]. Place pot on stovetop over high heat and bring water to rolling boil.
Once water begins to boil, add [wprm-ingredient text=”1 tablespoon salt” uid=”2″] to pot and stir to incorporate. Allow water to return to rolling boil.
When water is once again boiling, add [wprm-ingredient text=”1 pound fettuccine” uid=”3″] to pot. Boil pasta until al dente, 1 to 2 minutes less than time indicated on pasta packaging.
When pasta is al dente, pour pasta into colander, reserving pasta water to use in sauce if needed. Drain pasta well and set aside.
For the Jarred Alfredo Sauce (Skip if Using Homemade Sauce)
Place large skillet on stovetop over low heat. Add [wprm-ingredient text=”1 16-ounce jar alfredo sauce” uid=”8″] to skillet and heat sauce until warm, stirring occasionally.
When sauce is warm, add [wprm-ingredient text=”1 teaspoon Italian seasoning” uid=”6″] and [wprm-ingredient text=”1 large pinch crushed red pepper flakes” uid=”7″] to skillet and stir to incorporate. Simmer sauce 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
For the Homemade Alfredo Sauce (Skip if Using Jarred Sauce)
Place large skillet on stovetop over low heat. Add [wprm-ingredient text=”½ cup unsalted butter” uid=”10″] and [wprm-ingredient text=”1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream” uid=”11″] to skillet. Simmer ingredients 2 minutes, whisking constantly until fully incorporated and warmed through.
When mixture is warm, add [wprm-ingredient text=”2 teaspoons minced garlic” uid=”12″], [wprm-ingredient text=”1 teaspoon Italian seasoning” uid=”18″], and [wprm-ingredient text=”1 large pinch crushed red pepper flakes” uid=”19″] to skillet. Whisk to incorporate, then simmer mixture 1 minute, whisking occasionally.
Remove skillet from heat. Add [wprm-ingredient text=”1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley” uid=”13″] and [wprm-ingredient text=”2 cups grated parmesan cheese” uid=”14″] to skillet and whisk until cheese is melted and fully incorporated into sauce. Return skillet to heat.
For the Tuna Alfredo
Add drained fettuccine to skillet of alfredo sauce. Toss pasta in sauce until fully coated, adding small amounts of reserved pasta water if needed to achieve desired consistency.
After coating pasta in sauce, add [wprm-ingredient text=”2 5-ounce cans chunk light tuna in water” uid=”5″] to skillet. Gently fold flaked tuna into pasta until well distributed.
Portion tuna alfredo onto serving plates. Garnish pasta with [wprm-ingredient text=”finely chopped fresh parsley” uid=”15″] if desired and serve immediately with torn pieces of [wprm-ingredient text=”baguette” uid=”17″] (optional).
- Storage: Let pasta cool completely. Transfer pasta to airtight container and refrigerate up to 4 days.
