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!

Prep: 15 minutes minutes

Cook: 15 minutes minutes

Total: 30 minutes minutes

Recipe Makes: 6 servings

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Equipment

• large, heavy-bottomed pot
• wooden spoon
• colander
• Large skillet
• whisk
• tongs

Ingredients

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 1 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)

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

 

For the Pasta

• Fill large pot with 16 cups water. Place pot on stovetop over high heat and bring water to rolling boil.
• Once water begins to boil, add 1 tablespoon salt to pot and stir to incorporate. Allow water to return to rolling boil.
• When water is once again boiling, add 1 pound fettuccine 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 1 16-ounce jar alfredo sauce to skillet and heat sauce until warm, stirring occasionally.
• When sauce is warm, add 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning and 1 large pinch crushed red pepper flakes 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 ½ cup unsalted butter and 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream to skillet. Simmer ingredients 2 minutes, whisking constantly until fully incorporated and warmed through.
• When mixture is warm, add 2 teaspoons minced garlic, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, and 1 large pinch crushed red pepper flakes to skillet. Whisk to incorporate, then simmer mixture 1 minute, whisking occasionally.
• Remove skillet from heat. Add 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley and 2 cups grated parmesan cheese 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 2 5-ounce cans chunk light tuna in water to skillet. Gently fold flaked tuna into pasta until well distributed.
• Portion tuna alfredo onto serving plates. Garnish pasta with finely chopped fresh parsley if desired and serve immediately with torn pieces of baguette (optional).

Notes

• Storage: Let pasta cool completely. Transfer pasta to airtight container and refrigerate up to 4 days.

Recipe costs provided are approximate. Actual cost per recipe & serving will vary by location, store, brand, etc. Approximate cost shown does not include costs for any optional ingredients.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 470kcal | Protein: 22g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.05g | Cholesterol: 130mg | Sodium: 1822mg | Potassium: 272mg | Total Carbs: 57g | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Net Carbs: 54g | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 60mg

Nutrition Disclaimer

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes. Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used. To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

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Recipe by Cheryl Malik