Red Pesto Tuna Pasta
Red Pesto Tuna Pasta is simply delicious! Not to mention visually appealing. Spaghetti pasta in red pesto sauce with cherry tomatoes and shrimps! Enjoy this pasta dish in less than 30 minutes!
Red is the new green when it comes to pesto pasta in our dinner table! To those who are new to my blog, I always ramble about how my family is nuts over pesto pasta. Even my husband agrees that he likes this red version better.
Like most of my recipes, this one is also versatile. Aside from tuna, you can add shrimps as toppings. Cherry tomatoes are optional but we enjoy it more with the tomatoes because it gives the dish a bit of sweetness.
Red Pesto Or Green Pesto
Both are good taste-wise but it’s not only the color that makes them different from each other. Green pesto is made of garlic, pine nuts, basil leaves, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, olive oil, and salt. Traditionally, mortar and pestle are used to crush the ingredients and make the paste but a food processor would make things easier.
Red pesto, on the other hand, is made from sundried tomatoes, basil, cheeses, cashew nuts, and pine nuts. The tomatoes give the sauce it’s red color. Other recipes make use of almond nuts instead of cashew.
How to make Red Pesto Tuna Pasta
The recipe is simple and comes together in just under 30 minutes. With store-bought red pesto commonly available in groceries, the cooking is straight forward.
The ingredients I used are the following:
After gathering and prepping the ingredients, You start off by cooking the pasta according to packaging directions and set aside. Heat oil in a pan and cook the shrimps first until they are pinkish in color. Remove from the pan and set aside. Using the same pan saute garlic and onions. When the onions are translucent, tip-in the halved cherry tomatoes and cook until soft.
Add tuna and cook for 2-3 minutes then pour-in the pesto and stir to mix with the other ingredients and let simmer for 3 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper then add shrimps and simmer for 2 more minutes. To serve, place some pasta on a plate and pour the pesto sauce.
Tips for Red Pesto Tuna Pasta
- Aside from spaghetti pasta, you can also use fusilli, rotini, penne, or farfalle.
- Use the oil from the canned tuna to cook the garlic. It’s not only smart but also economical.
The secret ingredient is always LOVE
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Red Pesto Tuna Pasta
Ingredients
- 300 grams spaghetti pasta
- 2 bottles (190 grams) red pesto
- 2 cans (185 grams) tuna (drain oil and save for cooking)
- 6 pcs cherry tomatoes (cut in halves)
- 6 medium shrimps (shelled and deveined)
- 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 1 small onion (sliced)
- salt and pepper (for seasoning)
- water (for boiling pasta)
Instructions
- Heat water in a cooking pot and cook pasta according to packagig instructions or until al dente. Set aside.
- Heat oil (oil from tuna can) in a cooking pan over medium heat. Cook shrimps until pinkish in color and cooked through then set aside.
- Using same pan (add more oil if needed), saute onions until translucent then add garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Tip-in the halved cherry tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes or until soft and a bit wilted.
- Add tuna chunks and stir. Cook for 3 minutes.
- Pour-in the red pesto sauce and mix. Let simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- To serve, place some pasta on a plate and pour red pesto sauce on top. Sprinkle some cheese and enjoy! Bon Appetit!
