Budget Friendly Quick & Easy High-Protein

Tuna & White Bean Pasta

Name: Tuna & White Bean Pasta
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 300 g (10 oz) whole-wheat spaghetti or penne; 1 tbsp olive oil; 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 1/2 tsp chili flakes; 2 cans (about 225 g drained) tuna in water, drained; 1 can (400 g) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed; 100 g (3 cups) baby spinach; 1 lemon, zested and juiced; 20 g (1/4 cup) grated Parmesan; chopped parsley, salt and black pepper (to taste)

A 20-minute pantry pasta with canned tuna, cannellini beans, garlic, chili and lemon. 31g of protein per bowl, on a budget.

Prep

5 min

Cook

15 min

Total

20 min

Servings

440

Calories per serving

31g

Protein per serving

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Why this recipe works

The recipe for an empty fridge

This is the recipe for nights when the fridge is empty. Canned tuna and white beans are both cheap, long-lasting and packed with protein, and with whole-wheat pasta they make a proper, satisfying dinner.

Each bowl has 31g of protein and 11g of fiber, so it keeps you full far longer than a typical bowl of pasta.

Garlic, chili flakes and lemon keep it bright, and a handful of spinach wilted in at the end adds some greens.

Nutrition per serving

The numbers, worked out

For 1 of 4 servings, estimated from standard food data. Values vary a little with brands and portion sizes.

Calories

440

A satisfying pasta bowl

Protein

31g

From tuna, beans and Parmesan

Carbohydrates

64g

From whole-wheat pasta and beans

Fat

Mostly from olive oil

Fiber

11g

From whole-wheat pasta and beans

For 4 servings

Ingredients

Pasta

300 g (10 oz) whole-wheat spaghetti or penne

Sauce

1 tbsp olive oil

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp chili flakes

2 cans (about 225 g drained) tuna in water, drained

1 can (400 g) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

100 g (3 cups) baby spinach

1 lemon, zested and juiced

To finish

20 g (1/4 cup) grated Parmesan

To taste chopped parsley, salt and black pepper

440 kcal · 31g protein per serving

5 minutes prep · 15 minutes cooking

Instructions

Cook the pasta

Cook the pasta in well-salted boiling water according to the package. Before draining, save 250 ml (1 cup) of the pasta water.

Toast the garlic

While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and chili flakes and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the garlic is golden.

Add the beans

Add the cannellini beans and cook for 2 minutes. Lightly crush a few with the back of a spoon.

Toss it together

Add the drained pasta, tuna, spinach, lemon zest and a good splash of pasta water. Toss for 1 to 2 minutes until the spinach wilts and the sauce turns glossy.

Season and serve

Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Serve topped with Parmesan and parsley.

Why you'll love it

Pantry staples, proper dinner

31g of protein a bowl

Tuna and beans turn a simple pasta into a genuinely high-protein dinner.

20 minutes

The sauce is ready in the time it takes to cook the pasta.

Budget friendly

Canned tuna, beans and dried pasta are cheap and keep in the cupboard for months.

11g of fiber

Whole-wheat pasta and cannellini beans make it far more filling than regular pasta.

Make it yours

Ingredient swaps

Use what's already in your kitchen. Here is how each swap changes the dish.

Higher protein

Use chickpea or lentil pasta for about 10g extra protein per serving.

Dairy-free

Skip the Parmesan and add a spoonful of capers.

Salmon instead of tuna

Canned salmon adds omega-3s and works exactly the same way.

Different greens

Kale or arugula work instead of spinach. Add kale a minute earlier so it softens.

Meal prep & storage

Hot tonight, pasta salad tomorrow

Leftovers are just as good cold, so it doubles as an easy packed lunch.

3 days

In the fridge

Keeps in airtight containers for up to 3 days.

Splash of water

Reheating

Reheat in a pan with a splash of water, or eat it cold as a pasta salad with extra lemon.

Not ideal

Freezing

The pasta softens and the tuna dries out when frozen, so this one is best fresh.

4 boxes

Portioning

About 330 g per portion. Add a squeeze of lemon just before eating.

From our kitchen

Recipe tips

Texture

Save the pasta water

The starchy water turns the oil, beans and lemon into a glossy sauce that clings to the pasta.

Flavor

Golden, not brown

Cook the garlic until just golden. Burnt garlic turns bitter.

Texture

Crush some beans

Mashing a few cannellini beans thickens the sauce and makes it creamier.

The recipe card

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Tuna & White Bean Pasta

Prep 5 min
Cook 15 min
Total 20 min
Serves 4

440 Calories
31g Protein
64g Carbs
8g Fat
11g Fiber

Nutrition per serving (1 of 4 servings), estimated from standard food data. Values vary with brands and portion sizes.

Ingredients

300 g (10 oz) whole-wheat spaghetti or penne
1 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp chili flakes
2 cans (about 225 g drained) tuna in water, drained
1 can (400 g) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
100 g (3 cups) baby spinach
1 lemon, zested and juiced
20 g (1/4 cup) grated Parmesan
chopped parsley, salt and black pepper (to taste)

Instructions

Cook the pasta. Cook the pasta in well-salted boiling water according to the package. Before draining, save 250 ml (1 cup) of the pasta water.
Toast the garlic. While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and chili flakes and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the garlic is golden.
Add the beans. Add the cannellini beans and cook for 2 minutes. Lightly crush a few with the back of a spoon.
Toss it together. Add the drained pasta, tuna, spinach, lemon zest and a good splash of pasta water. Toss for 1 to 2 minutes until the spinach wilts and the sauce turns glossy.
Season and serve. Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Serve topped with Parmesan and parsley.

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