Welcome back to my kitchen! Today I’m offering you a first course that smells like sunshine and the Mediterranean. It’s my tuna and bell pepper pasta, enriched with olives, capers, and feta. It’s a riot of colors, intense flavors, and summer scents that I’m sure you’ll love as much as I did. The sweetness of the bell peppers perfectly matches the saltiness of the tuna, capers, and Taggiasca olives, while the feta provides that creamy and fresh touch that fits splendidly. Another thing I love about this recipe is its versatility: you can serve it hot right after preparing it, or enjoy it cold as a pasta salad. A delicious alternative (which is what I did) is to dress the freshly drained pasta with the prepared and cooled sauce: the contrast between the steaming pasta and the fresh sauce is truly surprising and pleasant. And you? How would you prefer to enjoy it? Hot, cold, or with the sauce at room temperature? Let me know which version won you over the most!
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
Ingredients for Tuna and Bell Pepper Pasta
- 11.3 oz pasta
- 2 red bell peppers
- 2 shallots
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tbsp salted capers
- 1.8 oz Taggiasca olives
- 3.5 oz canned tuna (drained weight)
- 1.8 oz feta cheese
- A few leaves basil
- chili pepper flakes (to taste)
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- black pepper
Tools
- 1 Pot
- 1 Pan
- 1 Colander
Preparation of Tuna and Bell Pepper Pasta
Wash the bell peppers, pat them dry with paper towels, remove the stem, all seeds, and white internal filaments, and cut them into small cubes.
Peel the shallots and garlic clove and chop them finely. I used a manual pull chopper that I find very convenient. If you want to buy it, you can find it by clicking HERE.
In a large pan, heat a few tablespoons of oil before adding the chopped shallots and garlic. Also, add chili pepper flakes in the desired quantity according to your personal taste.
Let it sizzle for a few moments, then transfer the bell peppers into the pan and continue cooking for about ten minutes, stirring often.
After this time, add the desalted capers, Taggiasca olives, and well-drained tuna from its preservation oil. Salt and pepper to taste. I always use plenty of black pepper because I love it.
Let it flavor for a couple of minutes, then add the crumbled feta cheese.
Mix all the ingredients well and scent the sauce with a few basil leaves torn by hand.
Cook the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water, drain it al dente and transfer it to the pan with the sauce. Stir carefully until it is perfectly coated with the sauce.
Serve the tuna and bell pepper pasta on individual plates and decorate with some extra crumbled feta, a few basil leaves, and freshly ground black pepper. Enjoy! Paola.
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