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Plate of spaghetti with tomato sauce, mushrooms, and herbs.

Ask Chef Walter: Pasta with Tuna Sauces – Chef Walter Potenza

July 27, 2025/Walter Potenza


by Executive Chef Walter Potenza, contributing writer

Tested recipes for two of summer’s best and most versatile sauces.
Friends:
Pasta and tuna make a perfect pair—whether you’re using fresh tuna for a gourmet touch or canned tuna for a quick pantry meal. These two recipes showcase the versatility of tuna in pasta dishes, offering something for every occasion.
The first recipe features seared fresh tuna with cherry tomatoes, white wine, and herbs, creating a light yet flavorful dish that feels restaurant-worthy. The second recipe uses canned tuna in a rich marinara sauce, delivering a comforting, no-fuss meal that’s ready in minutes.
Whether you’re looking for an easy weeknight dinner or a more elegant seafood pasta, these recipes prove that tuna—fresh or canned—can be the star of the show. Let’s get cooking!
Pasta with Fresh Tuna
Ingredients for 2
300g (10.5 oz) pasta (spaghetti or penne)
300g (10.5 oz) fresh tuna steak, cubed
200g (7 oz) cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small chili pepper (optional), finely chopped
1/4 cup white wine
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp capers (optional)
Fresh basil or parsley, chopped
Salt & pepper to taste
Lemon zest (optional)
Instructions:
  1. Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water.
  2. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add garlic and chili, sauté until fragrant (30 sec).
  3. Add tuna cubes and sear for 1-2 minutes per side until lightly browned but still tender. Remove and set aside.
  4. In the same pan, add cherry tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes until softened.
  5. Deglaze with white wine, let it reduce by half (about 2 minutes).
  6. Return tuna to the pan, add capers, and toss gently.
  7. Drain pasta and add to the pan, tossing with the sauce. Add reserved pasta water if needed.
  8. Finish with fresh herbs, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Serve immediately.
Chef Walters Cooking School
Pasta with Canned Tuna & Marinara Sauce
Ingredients for 2
300g (10.5 oz) pasta (spaghetti, penne, or rigatoni)
1 can (150g/5 oz) tuna in olive oil (drained, oil reserved)
2 cups marinara sauce (homemade or store-bought)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp olive oil (or use oil from tuna can)
Salt & black pepper to taste
Fresh parsley or basil, chopped
1/2 cup pasta water (reserved)
Instructions:
  1. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve ½ cup pasta water before draining.
  2. Sauté aromatics: Heat olive oil (or tuna oil) in a pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft (3 min). Stir in garlic and red pepper flakes, cooking for 30 seconds until fragrant.
  3. Add tuna: Break up the drained tuna into the pan and sauté for 2 minutes to enhance flavor.
  4. Simmer with marinara: Pour in the marinara sauce, oregano, salt, and pepper. Let it simmer for 5 minutes on low heat. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of pasta water.
  5. Combine with pasta: Toss the cooked pasta into the sauce, mixing well. Add more pasta water if needed to coat evenly.
  6. Garnish and serve: Finish with fresh parsley or basil. Optionally, drizzle with extra olive oil for richness.

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Chef Walter is featured HERE every Sunday with his regular Ask Chef Walter column!

Meet Chef Walter! There is a constant, recognizable thread in the career of Walter Potenza to elevate the level of Italian culinary culture in the United States. Besides his unquestionable culinary talent and winning business perspective, Chef Walter has been a relentless educator with passion and knowledge who defeats stereotypes. His life, career, and values are a model, an example to follow by any chef of Italian gastronomy working outside Italy.

Chef Walter appears regularly on National and International Networks such as Food Network, ABC, CBS, NBC, RAI, FOX, and Publications such as NY. Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Food & Wine, Saveur, Gourmet, and several Italian media outlets.  And now, RINewsToday.com!

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