Tonno e Cipolle Pasta
Quick pasta with tinned tuna, sweet onion, and lemon.
Ingredients
- 200 g Spaghetti
- 1 tin Tinned tuna
- 1 Onion
- 1 Lemon
- 3 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp Salt
- 3 tbsp Parsley (optional)
Method
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat.
- While the water heats, thinly slice the onion.
- Soften the sliced onion in olive oil in a wide skillet over medium heat until sweet and translucent, then flake in the tuna and warm through.
- Cook the spaghetti in the boiling water one minute shy of al dente (firm to the bite).
- Reserve a mugful of pasta water, then drain.
- Toss the drained pasta into the skillet with the tuna, the lemon zest and juice, the parsley, and a splash of pasta water to bring it together.
- Serve at once.
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About Tonno e Cipolle Pasta
Tonno e cipolle, pasta with tinned tuna and onion, is a quick coastal-Italian supper that leans on the pantry rather than the fishmonger. It nods to the long tradition of Neapolitan onion-based sauces while staying fast and light, built around good tinned tuna in oil, sweet softened onion, and a bright hit of lemon. The dish is defined by contrast: the mellow sweetness of onions cooked down until translucent against the savory, briny flake of the tuna, all sharpened at the end with zest and juice. Parsley keeps it fresh and green, and there's no cheese here, in keeping with the Italian instinct to leave fish pasta un-cheesed.
It tastes clean and savory, the tuna warmed through rather than fried so it stays tender, and the lemon lifting the whole plate out of heaviness. A splash of reserved pasta water pulls the onion, oil, and tuna into a light sauce that coats the spaghetti without any cream or long reduction. This is genuine store-cupboard cooking, ready in about twenty minutes from things most kitchens keep on hand, which makes it a reliable answer to an empty fridge. Serve it at once while the tuna is warm and the lemon still bright, with a little extra olive oil if you like.
Tonno e Cipolle Pasta: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Tonno e Cipolle Pasta?
A serving has about 691 calories — 28.9g protein, 82.6g carbs, 26.9g fat, 4.7g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is it high in protein?
Each serving has about 28.9g of protein, roughly 17% of its calories.
Is Tonno e Cipolle Pasta gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Spaghetti. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for that ingredient to make it gluten-free.
How long does Tonno e Cipolle Pasta take to make?
About 21 minutes start to finish, but only around 15 of those are hands-on — the rest is cooking time. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Tonno e Cipolle Pasta?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out parsley — it's optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Tonno e Cipolle Pasta make?
This recipe makes 2 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.