Tuna pesto pasta

Tuna pesto pasta is a delicious combination of tuna and aromatic homemade pesto, perfectly tossed with al dente pasta. It's bursting with fresh flavours, it's filling, simple, yet elegant. The best part is that it can be prepared in a jiffy and is perfect for a quick weekday dinner. It takes as long to make as it takes for the pasta to cook, so you can have this on the table in less than 15 minutes. It's also an excellent option for packed lunches and it tastes equally good hot or cold.

📝 Ingredients

• 50 grams walnuts
• 80 grams fresh basil
• 50 grams parmesan and extra for serving
• 2 garlic cloves (crushed or minced)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• zest from one medium lemon
• 120 millilitre olive oil (or 8 tablespoons)
• 350 grams dried pasta of choice (or 500g fresh pasta)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 x 145g (102g drained) tins of tuna in oil (or tuna in water/brine)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1--- For the pasta ---
2. 2In a large saucepan, cook the pasta with the salt according to the packet instructions. Only cook until the pasta is al dente.
3. 3Drain the cooked pasta in a colander and transfer back into the saucepan.
4. 4--- For the pesto ---
5. 5Start on the pesto once you have put the pasta on to cook.
6. 6Add the 50g of walnuts to a small frying pan and toast them over a medium-high heat until lightly browned and smelling nutty.
7. 7To a food processor, add the toasted walnuts, basil, parmesan, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest and olive oil. Whizz together until smooth or until the texture of your liking (we like it coarse!).
8. 8--- Heat the tuna ---
9. 9Drain the tuna and add it to a frying pan over medium heat. If you are using tuna in oil there is no need to add oil to the pan. If you are using tuna in water/brine, add a small dash of oil to the pan first. Fry for about 2 minutes until heated through.
10. 10--- Assemble the pasta ---
11. 11Add the pesto to the warm pasta followed by the tuna. Combine well and check for salt. You can also add a few grinds of black pepper. Serve warm with extra parmesan on top.If you made this for a packed lunch the next day, let the pasta cool completely before putting in the fridge.