This is a very tasty dish for those who enjoy a different style of pasta. It is loaded with flavor thanks to the tuna in olive oil and green olive pesto. It’s very easy to prepare, and you can even make the pesto in advance and freeze it. This pesto is dairy free which is a plus for those of us who are lactose intolerant.
Our local Costco now sells Genova tuna in olive oil so we stock up on it because it’s an excellent price to quality ratio.
The pesto ingredients get a quick whirl in the food processor and voila! You’ll have a tasty olive pesto that is a nice change from a typical basil pesto. Even if you choose not to use the tuna, the pesto is wonderful on pasta or slathered on grilled bread.
I used spaghetti for this recipe however you can use whatever pasta shape that suits you. 
- 2 cups lightly packed Italian parsley leaves
- ½ cup pitted green olives (I use olives from Whole Foods olive bar)
- ¼ (heaping) cup roasted unsalted or lightly salted almonds
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest (more for serving, optional)
- 1 small garlic clove
- ½ teaspoon chili pepper flakes
- ½ pound dried spaghetti
- 1 7-ounce can Genova yellowfin tuna in olive oil, drained
- Pesto: Place the parsley, olives, almonds, olive oil, lemon zest, garlic, chili flakes in a food processor. Process until a chunky paste forms, 15-20 seconds.
- Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions. Drain and transfer to a serving bowl. Add tuna to pasta. Toss in olive pesto until noodles are well coated. Serve warm or at room temperature with more lemon zest.
