Italian Pasta Recipes with Pantry Staples
This is a classic Italian-style pasta recipe that comes together in minutes using everyday pantry ingredients. Use canned tuna, olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and any long pasta shape like linguine or spaghetti,.
Ingredients
- 1 can or 6 ounce jar oil-preserved tuna
- Sea salt
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 or 2 garlic cloves finely sliced
- ½-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper or Aleppo pepper
- ½ cup dry-packed sundried tomatoes cut into slivers (soak in hot water for 10 minutes if they're very dry)
- 1 pound linguine or spaghetti
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Handful chopped Italian parsley
Instructions
- Lift the tuna from the jar with a fork, leaving the oil in the jar. Put the tuna into a small bowl and break into smaller pieces with the fork — don't shred too much as large chunks have a nice texture.
- Set a large pot of water on the stove to boil, adding 1 tablespoon of salt per quart of water.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium low heat for a minute. Toss in the garlic, chili and tomatoes and cook just until the garlic starts to sizzle. Remove from the heat and stir in the tuna and ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve ¼ - ½ cup of pasta water before draining. Immediately add the pasta to the skillet along with the butter. Use tongs or two large forks to toss the pasta with the sauce, adding a bit of water to loosen the sauce (you might not need all the water).
- Sprinkle the herbs over the pasta, then taste and add more salt or chili if you like. Serve hot.
Video
Notes
- For more briny flavor toss the pasta with 1-2 tablespoons capers, chopped olives or sliced canned artichoke hearts if you like.
- Add about a cup of sweet peas, white beans or baby spinach to make this a heartier pasta dish.
- The pasta will keep up to 3 days, refrigerated. It the pasta has absorbed the sauce, reheat with a little bit more olive oil along with 1-2 tablespoons water or broth.
Nutrition
Calories: 622kcalCarbohydrates: 93gProtein: 17gFat: 20gSodium: 54mgFiber: 5gSugar: 9g
