A Timeless Classic: Why Tuna and Olive Pasta Wins Everyone Over
Food lovers, get ready because today I’m bringing you into the world of simple but intense flavors with a recipe that’s a real joker in the kitchen: tuna and olive pasta! This sauce is proof that you don’t need complicated ingredients or hours at the stove to bring a dish to the table that tastes of the sea, home, and those Mediterranean flavors we love so much. Perfect for a last-minute dinner, a quick but tasty lunch, or when you crave something flavorful without too much hassle.
A Dish with Simple but Tasty Origins
There isn’t an “official” story with a precise date for the tuna and olive sauce, but it’s undoubtedly born from the tradition of Mediterranean cuisine and the need to create flavorful dishes with easily available ingredients, especially in regions with a strong maritime tradition like Southern Italy. Canned tuna, a versatile and storable ingredient, combined with olives (often present on southern tables), has given life to a rich and nutritious sauce, capable of transforming a simple plate of pasta into a complete meal. It is the emblem of that “recovery” and “subsistence” cuisine that has given birth to some of our most beloved dishes, demonstrating that creativity in the kitchen often arises from the ability to enhance a few simple elements.
So, are you ready to prepare this classic that tastes of sun and sea? Let me know how it turned out!
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 2People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
- Energy 579.10 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 42.25 (g) of which sugars 9.10 (g)
- Proteins 33.74 (g)
- Fat 31.36 (g) of which saturated 5.62 (g)of which unsaturated 7.82 (g)
- Fibers 5.27 (g)
- Sodium 1,536.25 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 235 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for spaghetti with tuna and olives
- 6.3 oz pasta (spaghetti, penne or your choice)
- 5.6 oz canned tuna in oil (drained)
- 1/4 cup pitted olives (green or black)
- 1 bunch parsley
- 2 anchovies in oil
- to taste chili pepper (optional)
- 1.4 oz sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 golden onion
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste water (cooking water)
Tools
- Pan Lagostina Linea Rossa Frying Pan, Aluminum, Ø 9.5in
- Pot BERGNER Gourmet | Cooking Pot for Pasta | Glass Lid, Colander and Capacity of 4.2L | Stainless Steel | Very Durable, Easy Cleaning and Suitable for All Cooktops
Steps for pasta with tuna and olives
Prepare the base: Thinly slice the onion. In a large pan, heat the extra virgin olive oil over low heat, and if you’re using it, the chili pepper. Add the anchovies and parsley stems. Gently sauté for a minute or two, then add the onions and simmer gently for 10 minutes, adding salt. This way, they will lose their water, becoming soft without the need for additional liquids. Only after the onions are well caramelized, they should look like cream, add a ladle of water.
Cook the pasta: bring salted water to a boil for the pasta. Cook the chosen pasta al dente, following the package instructions, don’t add too much salt. When there are 3 minutes left for the pasta to cook, add the tuna to the onions, and drain the spaghetti al dente into the pan. Add a ladle of the pasta cooking water and mix everything over low heat so that the pasta absorbs the flavors and a delicious cream forms. Once off the heat, garnish the spaghetti. Chop the olives and sun-dried tomatoes to add more flavor, and add the freshly chopped parsley. Serve!
