Tuna with Simple Pasta Sauce
This is a nice dish to make for a quick, fresh and healthy weeknight meal. Leave off the tuna for a vegetarian meal or replace the tuna with leftover rotisserie chicken. But the combination of tuna with the tomatoes, capers and feta is incredibly satisfying. Use whatever pasta you like or have on hand.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 vine-ripe fresh tomato
- 4 cloves garlic crushed and minced
- 2 tablespoons olive or avocado oil divided
- 2 15- oz. cans diced tomatoes or one 28 oz. box diced tomatoes
- 8 oz. dried substantial pasta like Ziti Fusili or Penne
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus extra for topping
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes plus more for topping
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup sliced kalamata or other favorite black olives
- 1 tablespoon drained capers
- 1/4 cup Feta cheese
- 1 6- oz. can good quality Solid Albacore tuna in water or oil - drained
Instructions
- In a 12-inch deep saute' pan, drizzle 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil and heat to medium. Slice the fresh tomato into very thin slices, about 1/4 inch thick and add to the oil.
- Mince the garlic and add to the tomatoes. Let cook about 7-8 minutes, until tomatoes start to break down and caramelize a bit.
- Add one additional tablespoon oil. Add both cans diced tomatoes with their juices.
- Add the pasta, Parmesan cheese, salt, red pepper flakes and black pepper. Stir all ingredients until well distributed and so that pasta gets well coated with tomatoes.
- Add one cup water, stir once more. Cover and reduce heat to low and cook about 15 minutes, until pasta is al dente, stirring occasionally to prevent pasta from sticking to pan.
- Once the pasta is to your liking, take the pan off the heat.
- Drain the tuna and set aside.
- Dish up pasta mixture into individual serving bowls. Divide the tuna among the bowls, nesting on top or mixing into the hot pasta.
- Divide the olives, capers and feta among each portion, sprinkling with additional Parmesan and red pepper flakes, if desired.
- Leftovers may be served up to one day later.