Tuna Pasta with Capers
This quick and easy tuna pasta recipe is packed with protein and omega 3. This is one of my favourite canned tuna pasta recipes. It’s such a great way to extract some Mediterranean sunshine from your store cupboard ingredients. So quick and easy that this tuna pasta sauce will be ready in the time it take your pasta to boil.
I am a big tuna eater, especially since I’ve been working from home. I think canned tuna is the ultimate store cupboard ingredient as it is packed with protein and lasts forever.
In Europe they have taken canned tuna to another level with high-end products like Ortiz Bonito del Norte from Spain which comes in the finest olive oil. There is no doubt that the taste from a tuna in olive oil will be far superior to regular canned tuna in spring water. But I have tried this recipe with canned tuna in olive oil and canned tuna in brine water and it works fine with both. Since I prefer not to take in all those olive oil calories for a simple weekday lunch, I often use the bring water one and save the Ortiz for the weekend or when I have guests.
Tuna Pasta with Capers
Serves 2
Ingredients
200g/8oz pasta
1 can of tuna
1 tablespoon capers in salt
1 tablespoon anchovy paste
1 clove garlic, crushed to a paste with salt
8-10 cherry tomatoes, halved
Zest of 1 lemon
Olive oil
Handful basil
Handful parsley
Salt and Pepper
Method
Cook the pasta as per instructions on the packet.
Wash the salt from the capers using a sieve or passing them from hand to hand under a running tap
Gently fry the tomato halves in olive oil, add the capers, anchovy paste, lemon zest and garlic and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the tuna meat, break it up and stir
Toss in the cooked pasta, keeping aside a cup of the cooking water.
Coat the pasta in the sauce and add the chopped herbs.
Loosen the sauce up with a cup of the pasta cooking water (the starch in the water helps the sauce bind to the pasta) and an extra a lug of extra virgin olive oil if you like.
Season with pepper and serve immediately.