With the holidays quickly approaching I have been pretty busy and because of that I have been looking for some relatively quick and easy meals that do not compromise in flavour. Pastas work really well in these situations and not only is this pasta is absolutely packed with flavour but the recipe is straight forward and it only takes about a half an hour to make. Another plus is that I very often have all of the ingredients on hand, either in the fridge or in the pantry so it really is one of those 'go to' meals. The sauce for this pasta dish is pretty similar to a puttanesca sauce with the addition of tuna to make it a bit heartier. The capers and olives are responsible for a lot of the flavour in this dish and they really carry the day. If you want to simplify things even more you can easily skip the wine or replace it with some chicken broth. You can also omit the anchovies, though they also add a lot of flavour and you won't even see them in finished product. You could easily top this pasta off with some grated cheese but it hardly needs it.
Now that dinner is made, its time to get back to baking! :)
Tuna and Caper Tomato Pasta
(makes 4 servings)Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion (diced)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup white wine (optional)
1 (28 ounce) can plum tomatoes (crushed)
2 tablespoons capers (drained)
1/4 cup kalamata olives (pitted and diced)
2 anchovies (minced, optional)
1 can tuna (drained)
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound spaghetti
1 handful parsley (chopped)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion (diced)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup white wine (optional)
1 (28 ounce) can plum tomatoes (crushed)
2 tablespoons capers (drained)
1/4 cup kalamata olives (pitted and diced)
2 anchovies (minced, optional)
1 can tuna (drained)
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound spaghetti
1 handful parsley (chopped)
Directions:
1. Heat the oil in the pan at medium heat.
2. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and chili pepper flakes and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
4. Add the white wine, deglaze the pan and then simmer until it has almost all evaporated, about 5 minutes.
5. Add the tomatoes and capers and simmer until the sauce just starts to thicken, about 10 minutes.
6. Add the olives, anchovies and tuna and simmer for 10 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, cook the pasta as directed
8. Season the tomato sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
9. Remove the tomato sauce from the heat and mix in the parsley.
10. Toss the pasta in the sauce and serve.
1. Heat the oil in the pan at medium heat.
2. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and chili pepper flakes and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
4. Add the white wine, deglaze the pan and then simmer until it has almost all evaporated, about 5 minutes.
5. Add the tomatoes and capers and simmer until the sauce just starts to thicken, about 10 minutes.
6. Add the olives, anchovies and tuna and simmer for 10 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, cook the pasta as directed
8. Season the tomato sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
9. Remove the tomato sauce from the heat and mix in the parsley.
10. Toss the pasta in the sauce and serve.
Similar Recipes:
Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
Spaghetti alla Marinara
Maccheroni Calabresei alla Arrabiata
Tilapia Piccata
Take a look at the Presto Pasta Nights roundup on From Kirsten's Kitchen to Yours.
