3 Ingredient Spaghetti with Tuna & Butter (Spaghetti al Tonno e Burro)
This 3-ingredient tuna and butter spaghetti, or spaghetti al tonno e burro, is perfect when you’re short on time or don’t feel like cooking.
I love making this tuna butter spaghetti. It’s buttery, silky, and a regular in my kitchen. My kids enjoy it, too. My five-year-old says, “The butter is especially good with the noodles and tuna.” Try it, it’s one of the easiest recipes you’ll make!
Why It Works
- Made with simple, high-quality ingredients.
- Pantry-friendly (plus butter).
- Ready in 15 minutes. Perfect for busy weeknights or quick lunches.
- When you combine the starchy, salty pasta cooking water with olive oil, butter, and hot spaghetti, it forms a rich emulsified sauce.
Pro-tip: Don’t forget to save the pasta water!
Ingredients
- The tuna must be packed in olive oil. The oil from the canned tuna helps form the sauce, adds flavor, and keeps the tuna from being chalky. My favorite tuna to use is either Genova Premium Yellowfin Tuna in Olive Oil or Wild Selections Solid White Albacore Tuna in Olive Oil.
- Butter isn’t a pantry ingredient, but I think most of us have butter on hand, and it can be stored in the freezer.
- You need to use traditional wheat-based spaghetti for the sauce to form properly.
- You’ll need salt for the cooking water and will reserve pasta water from cooking the spaghetti.
- Finish the dish with freshly cracked black pepper to season it and add a peppery bite.
Topping Ideas:
The toppings are totally optional. This simple 3-ingredient pasta is briny, buttery, and satisfying. If you want to add something extra, here are some of my favorite additions:
- Capers- my personal favorite
- Olives or tapenade
- Lemon zest or lemon wedges
- Gremolata
- Fresh parsley
- Calabrian chili paste or crushed red pepper
- Minced garlic
- Toasted bread crumbs
- Freshly grated Parmesan
How to Make it
See the recipe card for ingredient amounts and full instructions.
Cook the Spaghetti
Fill a large stockpot with water and add a tablespoon of salt. Bring it to a rolling boil. Then, add the dried spaghetti noodles and cook them to al dente according to the package directions.
Before you drain the spaghetti, ladle out 1 cup of the pasta water. Put it in a container and set it aside. Then, drain the spaghetti.
Meanwhile…
Prep the Sauce
While the pasta is cooking, add the tuna with its oil and the cubed butter to a very large bowl.
Combine & Finish
Transfer the cooked spaghetti to the bowl and toss to combine.
Add 1 cup of pasta cooking water. Then, use tongs to toss until a silky sauce forms. Serve immediately and spoon the extra tuna and sauce over each serving.
Enjoy!
How to Halve, Store, and Reheat
- Halve the Recipe: You can easily halve the recipe if you don’t want leftovers. To make half a batch, use 1 can of tuna, half of a stick of butter, and half a box of spaghetti (8 ounces). Use the full amount of salt for the pasta cooking water.
- Store the Leftovers: Tuna butter spaghetti is best made fresh, but you can store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheating: Reheat 1 serving at a time in a microwave-safe dish. If it dries out after reheating, add a tablespoon of water and reheat for another 20 seconds. I actually enjoy eating leftovers cold.
Serving Tips
Tuna butter spaghetti is a perfect, easy pasta for busy weeknights, and it’s a great way to use up pantry staples right before grocery day. It also makes a quick and tasty lunch.
- You can serve this as a meal on its own or serve it with a side dish. It pairs well with simple salads and green veggies.
- I like to pair it with white beans for added fiber.
- It pairs well with a lemony arugula salad or a pan of quick roasted broccoli.
This tuna butter spaghetti is one of my favorite simple meals. It’s quick, affordable, family-friendly, and delicious.
If you loved this recipe, please let me know in the comments below!
More Recipes Using Canned Tuna
Recipe
3 Ingredient Spaghetti with Tuna & Butter (Spaghetti al Tonno e Burro)
This 3-ingredient spaghetti is the perfect 15-minute meal.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Toss
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of salt for the pasta cooking water
- 1 pound dried spaghetti
- 1 cup of reserved pasta cooking water
- 2 5–ounce cans of tuna in olive oil (do not drain)
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter, cut into cubes
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Cook the Spaghetti
- Fill a large pot with water and 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring it to a rolling boil over high heat.
- Add the spaghetti and cook it to al dente, according to the package instructions.
- Before draining, ladle 1 cup of the pasta water into a container and set it aside.
- Drain the spaghetti.
Prep the Sauce
- While the spaghetti is cooking, add the tuna (with its oil) and the cubed butter to a very large bowl.
Combine & Finish
- Transfer the cooked spaghetti to the bowl while it’s still hot. Use tongs to toss the noodles with the tuna and butter. Then, pour 1 cup of hot pasta water over the noodles until the butter is melted and a silky sauce forms.
- Season with plenty of black pepper. Taste and add salt* if needed.
- Serve immediately and spoon the extra tuna and sauce over each portion.
Notes
*It shouldn’t need salt after adding the salted pasta water to the sauce, but always taste to make sure.
Totally Optional Topping Ideas
- Capers (my personal favorite)
- Lemon zest or lemon wedges
- Calabrian chili paste or crushed red pepper
- Fresh parsley
- Freshly grated Parmesan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6th of recipe
- Calories: 529
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 224 mg
- Fat: 23.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 10.9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 56.5 g
- Fiber: 2.4 g
- Protein: 22.5 g
- Cholesterol: 55.1 mg
