Tuna Carbonara
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Tuna Carbonara is a quick and delicious, light Italian meal you can make with just a few pantry staples! Eggs, pasta, tuna, peas and capers are just about all you need and you’ll be surprised there’s no cream in this delightfully creamy dish!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
This Tuna Carbonara is a favorite of mine because all the ingredients are in my pantry! And – I can have this on the table with a total time of about 15 minutes! Plus – the taste is light and creamy! So yummy!
Not a fan of tuna? No worries! I’ve got variations you can use to mix it up!
Tuna Carbonara Ingredients
This pasta dish was so easy to make because I didn’t have to buy any of it! I actually decided to make this because I got fresh peas at the farmers market –
- Eggs – you’re going to need two eggs for this recipe
- Parmesan Cheese – this is one you DEFINITELY need to use FRESH Parmesan and not that pre-grated stuff!
- Pantry Staples: Minced garlic cloves, salt, pepper & olive oil
- Tuna – you can use canned or pouch tuna
- Sweet peas – in the spring/summer – try and find fresh Sugar Snap Peas but other times of year – frozen peas are just fine
- Capers – while they remind you of olives, they’re actually edible flower buds from a caper bush – they’re little but add a little pop of salty & briny!
- Spaghetti – you can use any pasta you like but the traditional version uses spaghetti – it’s light enough to not outweight the tuna/peas but also sturdy enough to hold the sauce
How to Make Tuna Carbonara
Carbonara is traditionally made with pancetta, Parmesan and eggs – this version swaps out the fatty Pancetta or bacon with a healthier tuna. The eggs and Parmesan are really your sauce – but no worries – there’s no flavor of scrambled eggs! Here’s how we make this Tuna Carbonara recipe:
- Boil a large pot of salted water for your spaghetti.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together egg, egg yolk, cheese, salt & black pepper.
- Add pasta to the water and boil until al dente.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add tuna, peas, minced garlic and capers. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain pasta. Add pasta to the pan over low heat. Stir with peas for a minute and remove from heat.
- Pour pasta mixture back into pasta pot. Using tongs, toss in egg mixture, adding some reserved pasta water for creaminess. (I used about 1/4 cup)
- Serve immediately, top with grated Parmesan, a pinch of salt and a sprinkle of fresh parsley.
Tips, Tricks & FAQs
Traditional carbonara is pancetta (or bacon), eggs, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt & pepper.
Not typically – a lot of recipes but the eggs and pasta water really create enough creaminess to make this pasta. So no NEED for butter, milk or cream!
You sure can! I would go lightly and just add 1/4 cup. It’s not an alfredo sauce.
Carbonara is typically pasta with a little bit of protein – so you’re really just needing a little side salad!
You want to use room temperature eggs and then everything should be warm – but not ON the heat when you add the eggs. Be sure you mix in the eggs OFF the heat. Toss quickly and add the pasta water for creaminess.
If you have a large amount to reheat, you can pop it in a skillet. Because you can’t really recreate the pasta water, add a little milk or cream. If you’re just heating up a single serving, the microwave works the best.
Store in an airtight container for 3-5 days in the refrigerator.
Variations for Carbonara
Carbonara di mare (Italian for Carbonara of the Sea) is a flexible dish and the basics are in your pantry – but you can make a couple of easy swaps to whatever you like. Here are some ideas:
- Swap Tuna – you can swap out the tuna for salmon (to keep with the sea) or use bacon, pancetta or ham (diced or canned).
- Add cream – if you like a light alfredo or a creamier sauce, you can add 1/4 cup cream in addition to the pasta water.
- Add veggies – Mushrooms would be a great addition! You could also add broccoli, zucchini or even diced bell pepper.
- Swap cheese – you could swap out the Parmesan for Romano
- Swap pasta – use your favorite pasta – I think spaghetti or linguine works the best but fettuccine would work as well – or even bowtie noodles.
More Tuna Recipes
- Greek Tuna Pasta Salad
- Watermelon & Feta Salad with Grilled Tuna
- Ham & Noodle Casserole (swap the ham for canned tuna)
More Pasta Recipes
Tuna Carbonara
Ingredients
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 1 oz Parmesan cheese fresh grated, 1/3 cup
- pinch coarse sea salt
- pinch ground black pepper
- 8 oz spaghetti
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 5 oz tuna canned or pouch
- 1/2 cup sweet peas fresh or frozen
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 3 tsp capers
Instructions
- Boil a large pot of salted water for your spaghetti.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together egg, egg yolk, cheese, salt & black pepper.1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk, 1 oz Parmesan cheese, pinch coarse sea salt, pinch ground black pepper
- Add pasta to the water and boil until al dente.8 oz spaghetti
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add tuna, peas, minced garlic and capers. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.1 tbsp olive oil, 5 oz tuna, 1/2 cup sweet peas, 1 tsp minced garlic, 3 tsp capers
- Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain pasta. Add pasta to the pan over low heat. Stir with peas for a minute and remove from heat.
- Pour pasta mixture back into pasta pot. Using tongs, toss in egg mixture, adding some reserved pasta water for creaminess. (I used about 1/4 cup)
- Serve immediately, top with grated Parmesan, a pinch of salt and a sprinkle of fresh parsley.
