Dinner Tonight: Tuna cacio e pepe
It’s hard to resist a quick, five-ingredient recipe, especially when it yields such a comforting meal.
Dinner Tonight
October 2, 2025

Tuna Cacio e Pepe

Tuna Cacio e Pepe
Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Recipe by Carolina Gelen | Total time: 25 minutes

It’s hard to resist a quick, five-ingredient recipe, especially when it yields such a comforting meal. While fish paired with cheese is often deemed unconventional, in the right context, the two can complement each other in a memorable way. Canned albacore tuna is sprinkled in this cheesy cacio e pepe pasta for added protein, making the final dish more filling and satisfying. When it comes to emulsifying the often-temperamental sauce, the recipe offers two tips to nail it every time: Boil the pasta in a smaller-than-usual amount of water to really concentrate the starch level, then blend the cheese with the starchy pasta water like chef Luciano Monosilio does, letting your blender do the emulsifying for you. The result is a luscious, silky pasta ready to be paired with a crisp, cold glass of white wine. Watch Carolina Gelen make this dish in this video.

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Find more fast and delicious dinner recipes in our Weeknight 100.

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