Spaghetti al Tonno
Spaghetti with Tuna. This is a great recipe for a weeknight meal. It uses some pantry staples that we almost always have on hand - canned tuna, canned tomatoes, and pasta. It is quick and easy, inexpensive, and tastes great to boot.
The recipe calls for Spaghetti, but any long thin pasta, like fettuccine or linguini, would work as well.
Any canned tuna will taste fine in this recipe, but going for tuna packed in olive oil kicks this up a notch.
Who would have thought that something so simple would be this good. :-)
Spaghetti al Tonno
INGREDIENTS:
2 (5- to 7-ounce) jars/cans olive oil-packed tuna, drained
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon table salt, divided, plus salt for cooking pasta
½ teaspoon pepper, divided
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus extra for drizzling (optional)
1½ tablespoons minced garlic, divided
3 anchovy fillets, rinsed, patted dry, and minced
¼–½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (14.5-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained with juice reserved, crushed by hand to small pieces
12 ounces spaghetti
6 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided
INSTRUCTIONS:
Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. While water comes to boil, gently stir tuna, lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper together in small bowl.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon garlic, anchovies, and pepper flakes in saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until oil sizzles gently and anchovies break down, 1½ to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and their juice and ½ teaspoon salt. Increase heat to high and bring to strong simmer. Adjust heat to maintain gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 6 to 7 minutes. Cover and keep warm over low heat.
Add spaghetti and 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water. Cook, stirring often, until barely al dente. Reserve ½ cup cooking water. Drain pasta and return it to pot. Off heat, add tomato mixture, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper, and remaining 1½ teaspoons garlic and toss until pasta is well coated. Add tuna mixture and toss gently. Cover and set aside for 3 minutes so flavors can meld and pasta can finish cooking.
Adjust consistency of sauce with reserved cooking water as needed. Add ¼ cup parsley and remaining 2 tablespoons oil and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Distribute among pasta bowls. Drizzle each portion with extra oil, if using. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons parsley and serve.