Tuna and Sweetcorn Pasta with Creamy Mayo Sauce
Canned tuna and sweetcorn folded through pasta in a light, glossy sauce made from starchy cooking water and mayonnaise. A quick, protein-rich one-pot dinner.
- Total
- 17 min
- Prep 5 · Cook 12
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Emulsifying · Cooking al dente
- Savory
- Stovetop
Instructions
-
Fill the large pot with 1.5 l water and set it over high heat. Add 1 tsp salt and bring to a rolling boil.
~5 min
Salting the water seasons the pasta from within as it hydrates, so the finished dish needs less added salt.
-
Add 100 g pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes, stirring once so it does not stick.
~10 min
Cooking to al dente keeps the pasta firm enough to finish in the sauce without turning mushy.
Cooking al dente Cook until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, with a slight resistance at the center; mushy pasta will not finish well in the sauce.
-
While step 2 cooks
While the pasta cooks, drain the 80 g canned tuna and flake it into the small bowl with a fork. Stir in 2 tbsp mayonnaise and 60 g sweetcorn until evenly combined.
~3 min
Flake the tuna into bite-sized pieces rather than mashing it fine, so you still get distinct pieces against the sweetcorn.
-
Reserve about 60 ml of the pasta cooking water in a cup, then drain the pasta in the colander. Do not rinse it.
~1 min
The starchy cooking water is the key to emulsifying the mayonnaise into a smooth, clinging sauce.
-
Return the drained pasta to the warm pot off the heat. Add the tuna mixture and 60 ml reserved cooking water, then toss with the wooden spoon until the sauce turns glossy and coats every strand, about 1 minute.
~1 min
Tossing off the heat prevents the mayonnaise from splitting, while the starch helps it coat every strand.
The starchy cooking water is what makes the mayonnaise loosen into a sauce instead of sitting in clumps, so add it a splash at a time and toss off the heat.
Emulsifying Add the starchy water a splash at a time and toss off the heat; the sauce should turn glossy and coat the pasta, not clump or split.
-
Taste and add a pinch of salt if needed, then serve straight away while the sauce is still creamy.
~1 min