Best 10 Tuna Caper And Basil Penne Recipes

facebook share image   twitter share image   pinterest share image   E-Mail share image

Tuna caper and basil penne is a delightful pasta dish that combines the delicate flavor of tuna with the tangy zest of capers and the aromatic freshness of basil. This Mediterranean-inspired dish is a symphony of flavors and textures, with tender penne pasta, flaky tuna, briny capers, aromatic basil, and a creamy sauce that brings it all together. It's a quick and easy meal that's perfect for busy weeknights or casual gatherings. With its vibrant colors and delicious taste, this tuna caper and basil penne is sure to be a hit at your next dinner party.

Other recipes included in the article:

- Tuna caper and basil penne with lemon: This variation adds a bright citrusy flavor to the dish with the addition of lemon zest and juice.

- Tuna caper and basil penne with sun-dried tomatoes: This recipe incorporates the sweet and tangy flavor of sun-dried tomatoes for a more robust taste.

- Tuna caper and basil penne with artichoke hearts: This version includes artichoke hearts for a slightly nutty and earthy flavor.

- Tuna caper and basil penne with olives: This recipe adds briny and savory olives for a more complex flavor profile.

- Tuna caper and basil penne with roasted red peppers: This variation features roasted red peppers for a smoky and slightly sweet flavor.

Each of these recipes offers a unique twist on the classic tuna caper and basil penne, making it a versatile dish that can be customized to your taste preferences.

Here are our top 10 tried and tested recipes!

TUNA AND CAPER BITES



Tuna and Caper Bites image

One weekend while camping, my sister-in-law whipped up a simpler version of these tasty tuna bites as a snack. I decided to add capers, shallot, and lemon to make these elegant enough to serve at your next dinner party! I highly recommend using Mary's Gone Crackers® brand seed crackers; they not only provide the perfect nutty flavor, but they are also very crispy and sturdy, allowing these to be made an hour or two ahead of time.

Provided by France C

Categories     Appetizers and Snacks     Seafood

Time 15m

Yield 20

Number Of Ingredients 8

1 (5 ounce) can tuna packed in oil, drained
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon minced shallot, divided
1 tablespoon minced capers, divided
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
20 round crackers seed crackers (such as Mary's Gone Crackers™)
40 leaves arugula

Steps:

  • Combine tuna, mayonnaise, 1/2 of the shallot, 1/2 of the capers, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
  • Place crackers on a serving platter. Place 2 arugula leaves, torn in half, on each cracker. Divide tuna mixture among the crackers. Sprinkle with remaining shallot and capers.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 24.1 calories, Carbohydrate 0.3 g, Cholesterol 1.7 mg, Fat 1.7 g, Fiber 0.1 g, Protein 2 g, SaturatedFat 0.3 g, Sodium 44.5 mg, Sugar 0.1 g

PASTA WITH TUNA, TOMATOES, GARLIC, CAPERS, AND OLIVES



Pasta with Tuna, Tomatoes, Garlic, Capers, and Olives image

Provided by Food Network

Categories     main-dish

Time 25m

Yield 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 11

1 pound pasta noodles such as: penne
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
6 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons capers rinsed, roughly chopped
2 anchovies, finely minced
1/2 cup pitted black olives such as kalamata, roughly chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved or 1 (28-ounce) can whole, peeled tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup loosely packed, roughly chopped parsley or basil leaves
1 can rinsed and drained, white albacore tuna
1 teaspoon salt
Cracked black pepper

Steps:

  • Cook pasta in large pot of rapidly boiling water until al dente or done to your liking.
  • Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Place olive oil and the garlic in a large saute pan and turn heat to medium. Cook until the garlic is fragrant and lightly golden. Add capers, anchovies, olives, and tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes start to break down and become a sauce, about 8 minutes. Toss with cooked pasta. Add parsley and tuna and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

EASY PASTA WITH TUNA AND TOMATO SAUCE



Easy Pasta with Tuna and Tomato Sauce image

This is my version of a tuna pasta dish with capers, anchovies, and tomatoes. I make it at least once a week as it is my husband's favorite and he proclaims it's restaurant quality. You can easy double the recipe if you're cooking for more people.

Provided by barbara

Categories     Seafood     Fish     Tuna

Time 30m

Yield 2

Number Of Ingredients 11

½ (16 ounce) box penne
1 (5 ounce) can tuna, packed in olive oil, drained
¼ cup olive oil, divided
¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil
½ large organic lemon, juiced and zested
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 ounce canned anchovy fillets, drained
2 teaspoons capers
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
½ bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped

Steps:

  • Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes.
  • Empty tuna into a bowl and mash with a fork while pasta is cooking. Mix with 2 tablespoons olive oil, basil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper.
  • Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet and fry the anchovies for 3 minutes. Add capers and garlic; cook, stirring constantly, for an additional 3 minutes. Add tuna mixture and tomatoes; simmer sauce for about 5 minutes.
  • Drain pasta and add to the sauce. Mix well. Stir in parsley before serving.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 919.4 calories, Carbohydrate 94.4 g, Cholesterol 49.5 mg, Fat 46.5 g, Fiber 7.8 g, Protein 37.9 g, SaturatedFat 7.2 g, Sodium 1301.2 mg, Sugar 8.7 g

PENNE WITH TUNA, BASIL, AND LEMON



Penne with Tuna, Basil, and Lemon image

Categories     Fish     Pasta     Low Fat     Kid-Friendly     Quick & Easy     Back to School     Lemon     Basil     Tuna     Summer     Gourmet     Small Plates

Yield Serves 2

Number Of Ingredients 5

1/2 pound penne
1 garlic clove
1 lemon
1/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves
a 6-ounce can tuna in olive oil (not drained)

Steps:

  • Bring a 4-quart pasta pot three fourths full with salted water to a boil for penne. Mince garlic. Finely grate enough lemon zest to measure 1 tablespoon and squeeze 1 teaspoon juice. Cut basil into thin strips. In a large bowl toss together garlic, zest, juice, basil, and tuna with oil from can.
  • Boil penne until al dente and drain in a colander. Add penne to bowl and toss with salt and pepper to taste.

TUNA, CAPER, AND BASIL PENNE



Tuna, Caper, and Basil Penne image

Infuse the flavors of Provence in to a bowl of penne tonight with this quick meal that comes together in the time it takes to boil the pasta.

Provided by Martha Stewart

Categories     Food & Cooking     Ingredients     Seafood Recipes

Number Of Ingredients 7

3/4 pound penne
1/2 cup capers
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cans (6 ounces each) drained tuna in olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Steps:

  • Cook penne, reserving 1/4 cup pasta water. In a medium skillet, saute capers and lemon zest in olive oil, 1 minute. Add tuna and cook until heated through. Add penne, pasta water, and lemon juice. Season, and stir in basil.

SPAGHETTI WITH TUNA, TOMATOES, CAPERS, AND BASIL



Spaghetti with Tuna, Tomatoes, Capers, and Basil image

Categories     Pasta     Tomato     Quick & Easy     Basil     Tuna     Summer     Capers     Bon Appétit

Yield Makes 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 8

2 pounds tomatoes, halved, seeded, very thinly sliced
2 6-ounce cans solid white tuna packed in oil, drained, separated into chunks
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 anchovy fillets, minced
2 small garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chopped drained capers
1 1/4 pounds spaghetti
2 cups coarsely chopped fresh basil (from 3 large bunches)

Steps:

  • Gently mix first 6 ingredients in large bowl. Season tuna-tomato mixture to taste with salt and pepper. Let stand 1 hour at room temperature.
  • Cook spaghetti in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain; return to pot. Add tuna-tomato mixture and basil. Toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl and serve.

PASTA SALAD WITH TUNA, CAPERS & BALSAMIC DRESSING



Pasta salad with tuna, capers & balsamic dressing image

Update tuna pasta salad by skipping the mayo and adding balsamic vinegar, olive oil, colourful tomatoes and celery

Provided by Jennifer Joyce

Categories     Lunch, Main course

Time 20m

Number Of Ingredients 10

350g orecchiette pasta
225g jar MSC approved tuna in spring water, drained
1 tbsp caper , drained
15 peppadew peppers from a jar, chopped
1 celery heart, sliced
140g yellow, red or a mixture of cherry tomato , halved
75ml balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
100g bag rocket leaves
good handful basil leaves

Steps:

  • Cook the pasta following pack instructions, then drain and rinse in cold water. After draining again, transfer to a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients except the basil, season well, and toss to combine. Scatter with basil and serve.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 527 calories, Fat 10 grams fat, SaturatedFat 2 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 82 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 16 grams sugar, Fiber 3 grams fiber, Protein 24 grams protein, Sodium 0.6 milligram of sodium

PASTA WITH TUNA AND OLIVES



Pasta With Tuna and Olives image

If you want to make a complete meal of this, you can add a green vegetable to the mix (see the variation below). I like to use fusilli because I like the way the tuna gets lodged in the twists of the corkscrews, but other types of pasta, such as penne or spaghetti, will be just fine.

Provided by Martha Rose Shulman

Time 30m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 10

1 6 1/2-ounce can water-packed light (not albacore) tuna, drained
1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (to taste)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup fresh tomato sauce or a good prepared marinara sauce
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley or slivered fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 cup pitted imported black olives, such as kalamatas, cut in half or into quarters lengthwise
3/4 pound fusilli, penne, farfalle, or spaghetti
Freshly grated Parmesan for serving (optional)

Steps:

  • Begin heating a large pot of water for the pasta. In a large pasta bowl, break up the tuna. Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan or saucepan over medium heat and add the garlic. Cook, stirring, just until fragrant, and remove from the heat. Add to the tuna. Add the parsley or basil, and mix together.
  • Add the tomato sauce to the pan, heat through and season to taste with salt and add pepper and the red pepper flakes if using. Stir in the olives.
  • When the water for the pasta comes to a boil, add a generous tablespoon of salt and the pasta. Cook al dente, until firm to the bite, following the cooking instructions on the package but checking the pasta a minute or two before the indicated time. Remove 2 tablespoons of the cooking water and mix with the tuna.
  • When the pasta is al dente, drain and transfer to the bowl with the tuna. Add the tomato sauce with the olives, toss everything together, and serve. Pass the Parmesan at the table.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 499, UnsaturatedFat 10 grams, Carbohydrate 70 grams, Fat 13 grams, Fiber 5 grams, Protein 25 grams, SaturatedFat 2 grams, Sodium 575 milligrams, Sugar 6 grams, TransFat 0 grams

PENNE WITH A PUNCHY TUNA SAUCE



Penne with a punchy tuna sauce image

This quick, zesty supper is packed with Mediterranean flavours. Leftovers will keep well for lunch the next day

Provided by Katie Marshall

Categories     Dinner, Main course, Supper

Time 20m

Number Of Ingredients 8

350g penne
1 tbsp olive oil
5 tbsp caper , drained, rinsed and patted dry with kitchen paper
185g jar pitted black olives , drained and roughly chopped
zest and juice 1 lime
2 x 200g tins tuna in spring water, drained
4 tbsp grated parmesan
½ small pack basil , leaves picked

Steps:

  • Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the penne for 1 min less than pack instructions. Drain, reserving a cup of the cooking water, and leave the pasta in the colander.
  • Heat the oil in the same pan you cooked the pasta in over a medium-high heat. When hot, add the capers and stir to coat in the oil. When the capers start to pop, reduce the heat and add the olives, lime zest and juice and tuna. Stir together, then return the pasta to the pan with the reserved cooking water. Stir through the Parmesan and basil and season with black pepper.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 537 calories, Fat 14 grams fat, SaturatedFat 4 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 64 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 1 grams sugar, Fiber 7 grams fiber, Protein 34 grams protein, Sodium 2.1 milligram of sodium

TUNA WITH CAPERS, OLIVES AND LEMON



Tuna With Capers, Olives and Lemon image

This is not your mother's mayonnaise-laden tuna salad, but it's just as easy to prepare. Here's what you do: stir together some canned tuna, garlic, lemon juice, red onion, black olives, capers and fresh parsley, then spread it on buttered toast. Top it off with a round of ripe tomato or slivers of avocado and another slice of toast. That's it. If you want to make it into a dip, toss the mixture into a food processor with a few tablespoons of softened butter and a bit more olive oil. Purée until smooth and creamy and serve with carrots, fennel, bell pepper and seeded crackers. If you have a tin of sardines taunting you from inside your cabinet, we bet this recipe would work equally well with those.

Provided by Melissa Clark

Categories     easy, lunch, quick, weekday, appetizer

Time 10m

Yield 4 sandwiches or 8 appetizer servings

Number Of Ingredients 11

1 garlic clove, finely minced
Juice of half a lemon, plus more to taste
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus 4 more tablespoons if serving as dip
20 ounces canned tuna, preferably packed in olive oil, drained
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped black olives
2 tablespoons capers
2 tablespoons minced parsley or basil
Salt to taste
Buttered toast, if serving as sandwiches
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, if serving as dip

Steps:

  • In a large bowl, mash garlic with the back of a spoon. Whisk in the lemon juice and 5 tablespoons of olive oil. Combine with the tuna, onion, olives, capers, herbs and salt to taste.
  • Serve on buttered toast for sandwiches, or make into a dip: Pulse the tuna salad and butter in a food processor until it is creamy. With the motor of the processor running, slowly add the additional 4 tablespoons oil. Taste and add more salt or lemon juice if needed. Serve with cut vegetables (fennel and bell peppers are nice) and crackers.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 273, UnsaturatedFat 14 grams, Carbohydrate 2 grams, Fat 25 grams, Fiber 0 grams, Protein 12 grams, SaturatedFat 9 grams, Sodium 228 milligrams, Sugar 0 grams, TransFat 0 grams

Tips:

  • Choose high-quality tuna: Opt for tuna steaks or fillets that are fresh, firm, and have a vibrant red color. Avoid any tuna that appears dull or has an off odor.
  • Cook the tuna properly: To ensure that the tuna remains tender and flavorful, cook it over high heat quickly. Sear it in a pan or grill it until it reaches an internal temperature of 145°F (63°C) for medium-rare or 165°F (74°C) for medium.
  • Use fresh herbs: Basil and capers add a burst of flavor to this dish. Make sure to use fresh herbs for the best results.
  • Don't overcook the pasta: Cook the penne according to the package instructions, but be careful not to overcook it. Al dente pasta is slightly firm to the bite and will hold the sauce better.
  • Garnish with lemon zest: Before serving, add a sprinkle of lemon zest to the pasta. This will brighten up the flavors and add a touch of freshness.

Conclusion:

This tuna caper and basil penne is a quick and easy weeknight meal that's packed with flavor. The tender tuna, briny capers, and fresh basil come together to create a delicious and satisfying dish. Serve it with a side salad or roasted vegetables for a complete meal. This recipe is also a great way to use up leftover tuna. If you have some cooked tuna on hand, simply flake it and add it to the pasta. You can also use canned tuna in a pinch, but be sure to drain it well before adding it to the dish.

Related Topics