This tasty tinned mackerel pasta recipe is so easy to make and ready in about 10 minutes! It's a great way to use tinned fish to make a delicious, easy and satisfying midweek meal!
This easy mackerel pasta recipe reminds me of my university days. It's the type of thing I used to make a lot back then. I would look in the cupboard and throw a few things in a pan to eat with pasta without any advance planning.
Tinned mackerel is great for students as it's nutritious and is great on toast for breakfast, in a sandwich for lunch and of course in this pasta recipe. It's a great ingredient to keep in the cupboard for times when you're not prepared but need food quickly! I also use it on this tortilla pizza. And the tinned mackerel in olive oil in great in this tinned mackerel potato salad.
Rather like tins of beans and tinned tomatoes. If you've got a few of those supplies then it's always possible to put together something easy and tasty, especially if you add a few spices too.
These days I rarely make this tinned mackerel recipe as my husband doesn't like tinned fish or sweetcorn. I have to wait for days when he's going out to indulge in my love of tinned mackerel in tomato sauce.
I love the plain mackerel in tomato sauce or the mackerel in spicy tomato sauce. Either are great for this pasta recipe. If I'm using the less spicy one I just add a few chilli flakes to give it more oomph.
Ingredients for tinned mackerel pasta
To make this recipe you'll need:
- Tinned mackerel in tomato sauce - I prefer to use the one in spicy tomato sauce but the mackerel in plain tomato sauce is fine too.
- Onion
- Cherry tomatoes - or cut larger tomatoes into wedges
- Frozen sweetcorn - Tinned is fine to.
- Frozen peas
- Garlic
- Pasta - Use your favourite kind. Spaghetti works really well and so does penne!
Can you adapt this tinned mackerel pasta recipe?
I've been making this fish pasta recipe for almost 20 years now and this is the way I like it. However, it is a store cupboard recipe so it is the kind of recipe you can adapt to use the ingredients you have.
Apart from the tomatoes and onions, the vegetables are frozen so you can use alternative frozen vegetables. It depends what you have in the freezer. Broccoli goes very well in this pasta dish.
Sometimes I don't have cherry tomatoes so I just miss them out. Sometimes I don't use onions or garlic. At it's simplest I sometimes just microwave the mackerel and stir it into the pasta!
What if you don't have tinned mackerel?
You can use another tinned fish but a fish in tomato sauce works best. I don't like tinned sardines much as I don't like the slightly crunchy backbone. However, if you don't mind that or are happy to pick it out then go ahead and use them.
I haven't tried using tinned tuna as I think it would be a bit dry. But you could use it if you add more tomatoes to make into a sauce.
What can you do with the leftovers?
This is one recipe that I don't usually cook in large batches so I rarely have leftovers.
However, any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to three days and just reheated in the microwave on in the oven.
If you just have sauce but no pasta left, you can put it on a baked potato or even on toast!
More Easy Pasta Recipes
Pasta makes such an easy midweek meal for busy families. Why not try one of these recipes:
You might also like my salmon pasta bake!
Recipe
Tinned Mackerel Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 125 g tinned mackerel in tomato sauce
- 1 small onion
- 8 cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 tablespoon frozen sweetcorn
- 2 tablespoon frozen peas
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 80 g pasta
Instructions
- Put the pasta on to boil. Five minute before the end of cooking add the frozen peas and sweetcorn.
- Fry the onion. When soft add the garlic and cherry tomatoes. Finally add the fish. Break the fish up a little with the spoon but not too much. If it is too dry add a couple of tablespoons of water. Continue to cook just until the fish is heated through.
- Drain the pasta and put it in the pan with the sauce. Mix it all together so the pasta is coated in the sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Pin for later!
Julie
Needed a quick recipe for dinner as I'd forgotten some key ingredients for another! This was perfect. I only had mackerel in water, so added some tomato puree and also added some chilli flakes. End result was yummy.
Corina Blum
I'm so pleased you like this recipe! I'm sure the tomato puree and a few chilli flakes were the perfect substitution. I think people often don't think to put tinned mackerel in pasta but it works so well, doesn't it?!
Michelle Taylor
quick, easy, delicious! thanks so much and will be checking out your other stuff!
Corina Blum
Thank you Michelle! I'm so pleased you liked it and thank you for sharing your feedback. I love to hear from anyone who makes my recipes.
David Tullett
A really tasty simple to prepare meal.
Corina Blum
Thanks David, I'm so pleased you liked it. Corina
Christine Walton
Fried veg off in oil from tinned anchovies, added a couple, added mushrooms
Used whole wheat pasta. Really tasty, will make again
Corina Blum
That sounds really delicious! I would love to try it with tinned anchovies too and will definitely make the most of the oil from the tin.
Neil Dimapilis
sardines on pasta is one of my go to comfort food especially when theirs pesto lying around in the house
Corina Blum
It sounds like a wonderful combination with pesto as well! Yummy - that's something I need to try.
Claudia
I really enjoy this kind of dish, and make it for lunch sometimes. Equally good with anchovies or herring.
searchingforspice
I definitely agree that this dish is really versatile. Any tinned fish or frozen vegetables could be used.