Pasta with tuna or Spaghetti with tuna is one of my father’s signature dishes at the stove. Ever since I can remember, he has always prepared this dish; the routine was: he came home from work and I came back from school, he would cook and I would watch The Simpsons, the aroma filled the air, and soon enough the dish was on the table! Never let my father see you with just-drained spaghetti tossed in a bowl with a can of tuna! He might either kill you or have a heart attack! For him, the tomato must be sautéed in the pan with chopped onion, olives must be cut into small equal parts, the tomato sauce must be added and the heat turned up a bit, the tuna must blend with all the other ingredients, and finally, the pasta must be tossed in the pan. Unlike him, I add a bit of tuna roe and a few more marjoram leaves.
My mother used to add a good sprinkle of chili pepper or some spicy oil. Let’s say everyone has their version or their more or less “secret” ingredient.
This recipe and especially the photographic “makeover” of this dish, I dedicate to my father, to the years spent together, rushing to catch the bus, letting me have my own ideas and thoughts often and willingly different from his, and trying to understand now and then what it means to be a food blogger. All my love goes to my father, and I hope the photo and the dish please him!
Before moving on to the Pasta with Tuna recipe, I remind you that you can find a Collection of Easy and Delicious Pasta First Courses ready in 30 minutes on my cooking blog! What are you waiting for? Read them all!
“Because if we are cooking thinking about someone, we’re not just making food, we’re giving our time to that person, and our time is the most precious gift we can offer!”
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 284.50 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 39.16 (g) of which sugars 1.87 (g)
- Proteins 15.13 (g)
- Fat 7.21 (g) of which saturated 1.08 (g)of which unsaturated 3.44 (g)
- Fibers 5.54 (g)
- Sodium 1,040.43 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 150 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 two people for Pasta with Tuna:
- 7 oz pasta (in my case Spaghetti)
- 1 jar tuna in brine (at least 3 oz)
- 10 cherry tomatoes
- 10 green olives
- 1 tbsp onion (finely chopped)
- 3 tbsps tomato pulp (in pieces)
- 1 coffee cup white wine
- to taste marjoram
- to taste dried oregano
- to taste salt
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
Tools
- 1 Frying pan Bialetti non-stick
- 1 Pot
- 1 Wooden spoon
- 1 Knife
Preparation of Pasta with Tuna:
The very first thing to do to prepare Pasta with tuna is to boil the water for the pasta we have chosen, in my case spaghetti.
Then start chopping the onion, very little is needed for two people. Drizzle a bit of extra virgin olive oil on the bottom of a non-stick frying pan and sauté the onion.
Meanwhile, with a knife, cut the cherry tomatoes into quarters. Also, cut the green olives into small pieces.
Add the tomatoes and olives to the onion sauté, let it cook for a few minutes, and then deglaze with the white wine.
At this point, add two to three tablespoons of tomato pulp in pieces. Stir our ingredients well with the wooden spoon. Drain the can of tuna and set it aside.
Sprinkle marjoram, oregano, salt, and pepper on our sauce before adding the tuna. I also add a pinch of tuna roe to give this first course even more flavor.
Cook the pasta we have chosen. Keep in mind the cooking time; I drain it from the cooking water one minute before the time indicated on the package to toss it in the pan with the sauce.
Add the tuna to the tomato sauce and wait for the pasta to be ready.
Drain the pasta from the cooking water and toss it with the sauce in the pan while the flame is still on.
Sprinkle with dried marjoram leaves, and your Pasta with tuna is ready! As always, enjoy your meal!
Other recipes:
If you enjoyed this recipe, you can try the Risotto-style Pasta with Potatoes and Bacon, an easy and especially quick first course for those like us who came home late.
