That said, if you’re missing something, we’ve got tips and suggested substitutions for every single ingredient so you don’t have to go crazy with food shopping regret.
When In Lockdown, In Pantry We Trust
Tuna Tomato Pasta is one of our favorite recipes to eat, period. It’s also a pantry-based recipe that you can put on the table in under 30 minutes! We’ve been wanting to blog this one for a long time, as it truly makes regular appearances on our dinner table. With everyone hunkered down at home for the foreseeable future amidst the Coronavirus crisis, we had a newfound sense of urgency to publish this! No joke, this was the first recipe that came to mind when game planning our personal social distancing dinner plans this past week. Sarah and I live just outside of New York City, and in these parts, we’re pretty much on full lockdown. Bars, restaurants, movie theaters, nail salons, and any other “non-essential” establishments have been closed. Restaurants can no longer serve food other than delivery or pickup. New Jersey has a strongly encouraged 8 PM curfew every night. Most people are working from home, and I for one, have been in my apartment for 9 straight days already. For those of you in areas that haven’t yet experienced the spread of coronavirus, these might seem like strong measures, but social distancing is undoubtedly the best way to slow the spread of coronavirus! Plus with a well-stocked pantry, we’re in good shape to stay in and cook. (If you’d like to donate to organizations helping vulnerable populations access meals and pantry staples, check out this guide!)
An Italian Family Recipe
My Uncle Brian’s family is Italian, and every other year, we spend the Christmas holiday with my half Italian, half Chinese cousins and cook up an epic Feast of the Seven Fishes for Christmas Eve. One of the dishes Uncle Brian always insists on is this Tuna Tomato Pasta as it’s something that his family has been making for years. A couple of years ago, this menu item got assigned to me. Sarah was skeptical of it—Canned tuna? Pasta? Red sauce? Everything about it sounded iffy to her, but with a luscious homemade marinara, the proper Italian olive oil packed tuna, and plenty of capers and fresh parsley, it couldn’t have been better.
I got a valuable Itoldyaso to lord over Sarah’s head AND props for major Italian mama cooking chops from the Italian side of the family. WIN.
Substitutions & Making Do With What You Already Have
This recipe only calls for 9 ingredients, many of which we already have in our pantries: dried pasta, olive oil, garlic, anchovies, capers, crushed red pepper flakes, canned tuna, tomato sauce, and parsley.
However, if you don’t have capers or crushed red pepper, not to worry! Here are our suggestions for keeping this recipe flexible:
Different Types of Canned Tuna
Tuna packed in olive oil is the best option for this recipe. If you only have tuna packed in water at home though, that’s ok. Try to use solid white albacore tuna, which is kept in larger chunks. Chunk White tuna is also ok (it still has a firm texture but is separated into smaller pieces). Chunk light (its name can be misleading) is sourced from smaller fish, and consists of smaller bits with a darker color and fishier flavor. This type of tuna is best used when texture isn’t as important. It’s best for things like sauces/tuna casseroles or tuna salad sandwiches. Note: I blogged a half recipe of this pasta (I’m only one person!). In the step-by-step photos below, you may notice that the amounts of ingredients are a bit smaller than what the recipe––which serves 6––calls for.
Tuna Tomato Pasta Recipe Instructions
Boil the pasta and heat the marinara sauce. While that’s happening, heat a skillet with the olive oil. Sauté the garlic until lightly golden.
Add the anchovies and break up until dissolved.
Roughly chop the capers and add them to the pan. Follow with the chili flakes.
Add the cooked pasta to the pan. Toss to coat thoroughly.
Next, add the marinara one ladle at a time until all the pasta is thinly coated in sauce.
There shouldn’t be much standing sauce at all (a chunky marinara is best for this pasta). You may have some marinara left that you can pop back in the fridge for other uses. Empty 1-2 cans of tuna over the pasta, including the oil. Toss gently to distribute the tuna without breaking up the chunks too much. Garnish with the fresh parsley (or in this case, chopped carrot tops)…
And serve!
