20 mins | healthy meal prep
This is not your amma’s tuna pasta — this is a bold, spicy, flavor-packed remix with serious Sri Lankan energy. 🍝🔥🐟
We’re talking two cans of humble pantry tuna transformed into something magical with sizzling mustard seeds, toasty fennel, fragrant garlic, and a good hit of green chili. Toss in some turmeric, chili flakes, and black pepper, then build that saucy base with juicy tomatoes, a spoon of tomato paste, and a generous squeeze of lime to wake everything up.
All of it gets swirled into perfectly cooked pasta (penne, fusilli, or whatever’s in the cupboard), creating a dish that’s comforting, fiery, and a little unexpected — kind of like if your weeknight dinner took a tropical vacation. Finished with a sprinkle of fresh herbs if you’re feeling fancy.
It’s fast, filling, and proof that canned tuna is way cooler than it gets credit for. 😎🌶️🍅
Easy Tuna Pasta
Ingredients
- 250g pasta
- 2 cans tuna, drained (in oil or brine, either works)
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 red onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 green chili
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp chili flakes (adjust to taste)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 large tomato, chopped
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- Salt, to taste
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- A handful of chopped coriander or parsley (optional)
Directions
- Boil pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Heat coconut oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and let them pop. Add fennel seeds, curry leaves, and chili. Sauté for 30 seconds.
- Add sliced onions and cook until soft and golden. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add turmeric, chili flakes, and black pepper.
- Toss in chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. Cook until tomatoes break down into a thick sauce. Add salt to taste.
- Flake the tuna into the pan. Mix well and let it heat through for 2–3 minutes. Squeeze in lime juice.
- Add the cooked pasta to the tuna mixture. Toss everything together, adding a splash of reserved pasta water if it feels dry. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Garnish with fresh coriander or parsley if you like. Serve warm, or box it up for lunch the next day
