Pasta with Tuna and Tomato Sauce

Sometimes, a meal made of canned goods is the way to go.


You know those days: when you're feeling lazy; the vegetables look sad and wilted at the grocery store because we're on our eleventy month of winter; you don't think you can do another dish of root vegetables.

(I will admit to eating mashed sweet potatoes and nothing else as a meal and do not regret it.)


This is one of my favourite pasta dishes because it contains:

• Anchovies, which gets a bad reputation but adds so much depth to a dish.
• Tuna, because who doesn't love tuna? (A list of sustainably sourced tuna is listed here.)
• Pasta. I love pasta, so much that I think it would be the last thing I would eat before dying (though I have the right to change my mind at any time). Note to self: stop buying gluten-free pasta because it lacks the al dente goodness and hence, is terrible and not worth eating. Life is too short to go gluten-free (unless necessary).

I am heading to Italy next month to stuff my face with all the pasta and pizza in the world but in the meantime, this is a wonderful placeholder before chomping on the authentic stuff from the motherland.

Pasta with Tuna and Tomato Sauce
Adapted from The New York Times

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
2 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 (28-ounce) canned diced tomatoes, with juice
2 tablespoons capers
1 canned tuna, flaked
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 pound penne or fusilli

Begin heating a large pot of water for the pasta.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick skillet, and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about five minutes. Turn the heat to medium-high. Add the garlic, red chili flakes and anchovies. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, about two minutes. Add the wine, bring to a boil and continue to boil the liquid in the pan until it has reduced to a couple of tablespoons.

Add the tomatoes and capers to the pan, and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring often, for 15 minutes, until they have cooked down slightly and smell fragrant. Add the tuna and parsley, and season the mixture to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, and simmer 10 minutes until the sauce is thick and fragrant. Taste, and adjust seasonings.

Bring the pasta water to a boil, and salt generously. Add the penne or fusilli and cook al dente, eight to nine minutes or according to the timing directions on the package. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water to the fish ragu, and stir well. Drain the pasta, toss with the sauce in the pan or in a pasta bowl, and serve.