Pasta with white tuna and specifically I used spaghetti, but you can use the pasta shape you prefer. It’s certainly one of the quickest main courses to prepare, very appreciated because with simple ingredients such as garlic, oil, and chili pepper, it acquires a lively and bold taste.
Perhaps accompanied by a good side dish, it is a perfect standalone dish thanks to the presence of tuna, which covers the necessary protein quota in each meal.
My advice for an excellent outcome of the dish is to add the raw tuna only after sautéing garlic, oil, and chili pepper. This will greatly enhance the flavor of the tuna and prevent it from darkening during cooking.
The white pasta with tuna is certainly simple to prepare but becomes exceptional by following a few simple rules, such as not draining the pasta using the classic method but instead lifting it with a slotted spoon and bringing it to the hot pan to be tossed, keeping the right amount of water and starch usually contained in the cooking water.
This method of tossing the pasta will allow you to avoid adding extra oil to toss the pasta but still have a succulent and not dry main course.
Not adding more oil while tossing the pasta in the pan allows us to maintain a balanced amount of fats in the recipe.
For lovers of quickly prepared main courses, I also recommend other recipes like
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 2 people
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 445.18 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 32.80 (g) of which sugars 0.65 (g)
- Proteins 29.51 (g)
- Fat 21.53 (g) of which saturated 3.41 (g)of which unsaturated 5.14 (g)
- Fibers 2.00 (g)
- Sodium 1,555.28 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 220 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
- 7 oz spaghetti
- 1 quart water (for cooking the pasta)
- to taste coarse salt (for cooking the pasta)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- to taste chili pepper
- to taste fine salt
- 5.6 oz canned tuna in oil
- 1 bunch parsley
Tools
- 1 Pot
- 1 Pan
- 1 Ladle
Preparation
In a good non-stick pan, put the oil, chopped garlic, chili pepper, and let it sauté. When the garlic is golden, turn off the heat and add the tuna and chopped parsley without draining the tuna.
While preparing the sauté, bring a pot of water and coarse salt to a boil. When it reaches a boil, cook the pasta for the minutes indicated for al dente cooking.
When the pasta is cooked, return the pan to the stove over high heat, and when it starts to sizzle, begin to pour in the pasta and toss it well, adding a bit of fine salt to adjust the taste.
To drain the pasta, as mentioned before, lift it with a slotted spoon. For spaghetti, there is a specific ladle. This allows you to drain the pasta little by little and bring the right amount of cooking water necessary to toss it well without adding more oil. When the pasta is well tossed, turn off the stove and enjoy.
NOTES
Pasta with tuna is a truly succulent and tasty first course that should be enjoyed immediately after preparation to fully appreciate it. I find it perfect as is, but if you want to change it from time to time, you could add black olives or capers or sun-dried tomatoes.
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