To cook tuna into pasta you can add the tuna into the pasta as it's cooking or near the end of cooking.
You can also add the tuna to the pasta after it's been drained and mix the tuna in with some sauce or even make your own white sauce using some butter, flour and milk and then mix the canned tuna into that.
You can make some tuna sauce by heating some olive oil in a skillet or in the pasta pot, then saute minced garlic until it's fragrant but don't burn it, then add the drained tuna, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper and then cook the tuna sauce for a few minutes to warm it through and combine the flavors.
Then after you drain the pasta you can add the tuna sauce to the pasta and add capers if using capers and a splash of the reserved pasta water to the sauce.
Then gently toss the pasta to coat the pasta in the sauce.
To stop your tuna pasta from going dry, undercook the pasta by a minute or two and save some of the pasta cooking water.
Also ensure that you use sufficient sauce and even add some extra liquid like the pasta water or olive oil and store the tuna pasta with a damp paper towel or lid if storing it for later consumption.
Not adding enough sauce to the tuna pasta or not storing the tuna pasta properly can also result in dryness.
Tuna pasta is can become dry because the pasta absorbed too much of the sauce or the sauce itself was not moist enough for the pasta.
Other reasons for tuna pasta to be so dry are baking at too high of temperature, overcooking the pasta or not using enough sauce.
Pasta is a starch which acts like a sponge and soaks up moisture, especially when cooking dry pasta.
And pasta readily absorbs sauce, so if there is not enough sauce to coat every piece of pasta it can result in the pasta being dry.
Also cooked pasta, especially when it's reheated, often absorbs more moisture as a result of it's starch content.
When pasta is overcooked it also absorbs more of the sauce and leads to dryness of the pasta.
Using too thick of a sauce will also leave the pasta feeling dry as the sauce that's too thick it won't adequately coat the pasta.
Or if the sauce lacks the amount of liquid to keep the pasta moist it can result in the tuna pasta being dry.
To upgrade tuna pasta you can add some fresh herbs such as basil, parsley or dill or even add some green onions which gives the tuna mayo pasta a burst of freshness as well as aroma.
Adding some Dijon mustard or whole grain mustard or even some simple regular yellow mustard can add a tangy bite to your tuna pasta.
Even some lemon juice and zest can add flavor and brighten the tuna pasta dish.
Adding some Mexican seasoning, ground mustard, melted cheese and or some chopped boiled eggs or even shredded cheese to the tuna pasta can also make the tuna pasta much better and you can even melt the cheese on the tuna pasta as well if you want too.
Mayo or mayonnaise is a common ingredient in tuna pasta and especially in tuna pasta salad.
Mayonnaise acts as a binder and adds a creamy texture to the tuna pasta or tuna pasta salad and is a key ingredient in many recipes for tuna pasta.
The mayonnaise helps hold the tuna, pasta and other ingredients together and creates a chohesive pasta salad or tuna pasta dish.
You can also use Greek yogurt or a combination of mayonnaise and Greek yogurt for a lighter flavor or different texture.
Or you can also use olive oil or a vinaigrette and omit the mayonnaise entirely in the tuna pasta or tuna pasta salad.
The tuna that you should use for tuna pasta is Albacore tuna in olive oil or even Yellowfin tuna in olive oil.
Although you can use any tuna in your pasta including other canned tunas and even fresh tuna if available.
Tuna that is packed in oil is the best for pasta dishes, especially pasta dishes with sauces in which the oils can also contribute to the flavor and texture.
The tuna in oil provides the pasta dish with a richer and more pronounced flavor when compared to tuna that is packed in water.
Oil packed tuna offers a richer flavor for the pasta and water packed tuna is milder and allows for other ingredients to stand out.
And oil packed tuna is also ideal for pasta dishes in which you want the oil to act as part of the sauce.
Water packed tuna though is better for pasta dishes with creamy sauces or where the tuna is mixed in with other ingredients.
You can mix tuna into hot pasta as the heat from the hot pasta will help warm the tuna and blend in the flavors.
If making a hot pasta dish you can add the tuna to the pasta while it's still hot.
After the pasta is cooked you can then drain the pasta and add the pasta to a bowl and mix in the tuna and evenly distribute the tuna into the hot pasta.
You can also enhance the flavor of the tuna pasta by adding olive oil, lemon juice, capers, garlic or other herbs.
For tuna pasta salad you should let pasta cool down before adding the tuna.
Allowing the pasta to cool down before adding tuna to tuna pasta salad prevents the pasta from getting mushy and helps the tuna pasta salad maintain it's desired texture.
If making pasta dishes that are served hot like a casserole or Tuna Pasta that is served hot you should add the tuna into the pasta while it cooks or while it's still hot.
To make Italian tuna pasta start by cooking the spaghetti until it's al dente.
Then as the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce by heating some olive oil in a skillet and sauteing of some chopped onions and anchovy fillet if using anchovy fillet.
Then add in some crushed red pepper and garlic, and stir in crushed tomatoes.
Next reduce the heat and add the capers and canned tuna, breaking up any large pieces.
After the pasta is cooked then you can drain the spaghetti and toss the spaghetti with some tuna sauce.
Then garnish it with some fresh herbs before serving or eating.
You can also add a small amount of starchy pasta water to the sauce which can help it coat the pasta better.
You can also enhance the flavor with some ingredients like chopped olives, fresh herbs, a squeeze of lemon juice or lemon zest.
If you want added texture you can top the dish with some garlic and fried breadcrumbs.
A simpler version of Italian tuna pasta is combing cooked pasta with tuna packed in olive oil, olives and a drizzle of olive oil.
The ingredients for Italian tuna pasta include.
Chopped fresh parsley or basil to garnish.
Canned tuna in olive oil.
Capers.
Crushed tomatoes.
Anchovy fillet which is optional.
Crushed red pepper flakes.
Chopped onion and minced garlic.
Olive oil.
And spaghetti.