This tuna pasta for toddlers recipe has been around in our house for a long time. Now my kids are teenagers but we still make this family friendly recipe or variations of it. Quick to make in under 15 minutes, it’s perfect for those busy week day nights. Read on to find out how to make it and alternative ingredients to suit your family.
Why I love this simple tuna pasta for toddlers
- Can be made as quickly as 15 minutes
- Keeps well and can be eaten cold
- Perfect for lunchboxes
- Uses lots of colourful nutritious vegetables
- Kids love this creamy tuna pasta recipe
- Perfect for the whole family
Ingredients
Here’s what I included in this recipe or what you need to make it.
Tuna
Use canned tuna that is in spring water as the brine ones are more salty.
Pasta
I used durum wheat pasta shapes. You can use whatever shapes you like. Even a gluten free version of pasta.
Cream cheese
Use full fat cream cheese to give a lovely creamy rich texture
Cucumber
Bell pepper
Red or orange are sweetest and add a lovely pop of colour to the recipe
Olives
Sweetcorn (optional)
How to make kids tuna pasta
- Weigh the pasta and cook in a pan of boiling water over a medium heat until al dente (about 10 mins)
- Meanwhile drain the canned tuna
- Chop the cucumber, pepper and olives into cubes or diced pieces.
- Drain the pasta and add x tablespoons of cream cheese and tuna. Stir together and add the chopped vegetables.
- Serve
Variations and additions
Pasta – I used white durum wheat pasta but you could use wholewheat pasta for more fibre. There are other alternatives like lentil and chickpea pasta if you wanted to add more protein.
Vegetables – Lots of different vegetables work well in this recipe, so you can pick and choose. Other vegetables I suggest include green beans, frozen peas, broccoli and tomatoes
Creamy sauce – If you wanted to make this recipe with a thicker sauce you could make a basic white sauce for this recipe but it would take more time to do. Alternatively use some creme fraiche.
Cheese – An alternative to cream cheese would be some mascarpone or alternatively some grated cheddar cheese.
Herbs and other flavours – tuna goes well with lemon, so you could add a squeeze of lemon. Or add a handful of some herbs such as chopped parsley.
Recipe FAQ
How do I store?
Once it has cooled down, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2- 3 days. It can be eaten cold or heated up.
How do i reheat?
If you want to reheat it, place it in the microwave for about 2 minutes to heat through.
tuna pasta for toddlers
Ingredients
- 137g 2 tins canned tuna
- 4 tbsp mayonnaise or cream cheese
- 300 grams rigatoni pasta
- 4 1/4 inch piece cucumber
- 1 bell pepper (red or yellow)
- 50 grams olives
- 80 grams sweetcorn optional
Instructions
- Weigh the pasta and cook in a pan of boiling water until a la dente for about 10 minutes (depending on your pasta type/shape)
- Meanwhile drain the cans of tuna
- Chop the cucumber, pepper and olives into small cubes/diced
- Drain the pasta and add the cream cheese, tuna and the vegetables
- Mix together well and serve
Did You Make this recipe?
Make sure to tag me on Instagram so I can see and share your creations!
Other tuna recipes
When it comes to meals like this, one of the most common questions I hear is:
“How much should I actually be serving?”
It can feel really confusing, especially when appetites change so much from day to day.
A helpful thing to remember is that toddler portions are often much smaller than we expect, and it’s completely normal for intake to vary.
If you’d like a bit more guidance, I’ve put together a simple portion size guide for 1–4 year olds.
It walks you through what a balanced day can look like, without overcomplicating things.
You can have a look here.
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