Pasta al Tonno: A Pantry Staple Recipe for Quick Weeknights
A recipe for pasta al tonno, relying on canned tuna and tomatoes, delivers a surprisingly elegant dish in under 20 minutes, with tips for ingredient
A pantry pasta recipe from Sasha Marx, built entirely from shelf-stable staples, consistently delivers a dinner that feels more special than its 20-minute preparation time would suggest. The dish, pasta al tonno, requires only canned tomatoes, olive oil-packed tuna, garlic, dried spaghetti, and red pepper flakes.
This is the clutch pasta the author turns to repeatedly for easy weeknight meals, especially during frantic evenings. While the author has written many pantry pasta recipes, this one from former colleague Sasha Marx is the most frequent choice. The result is guaranteed to exceed expectations given the minimal time and effort involved.
The Core Pantry Ingredients
With so few components, the quality of each ingredient is most important. The recipe only truly shines with great canned tomatoes. The tuna should be olive oil-packed, not the dry variety best suited for tuna salad. Canned ventresca, or tuna belly, is a recommended splurge. The spaghetti should have a rough texture from bronze-die extrusion, not a slick, plasticky feel.
The parsley added right before serving provides a fresh green flavor but is optional. The dish is better with it, but still great without.
Technique Over Speed
Yes, this is a quick recipe. However, taking a little extra time at key stages is critical. Let the garlic turn golden slowly, developing its flavor and infusing into the oil without becoming acrid. Pull the pasta a minute or two early from its boiling water and finish it in the simmering sauce. This allows the pasta to become coated in a slick, tomatoey glaze.
All told, these careful steps add only an extra two or three minutes. They are insignificant in the overall timeline but decisive for the final dish.
The Final Dish
The result is a delicious, bright, and fruity tomato sauce. It is studded with substantial morsels of tuna and carries a light marine flavor. This combination can make a Tuesday night taste like a meal on the Italian Riviera. The process is simple: boil the pasta, fry the garlic, simmer the sauce, flake in the tuna, and toss everything together.
