One of mine and Dario’s favorite things to do together is cook. We love coming across a new recipe (or creating one ourselves!) and making a date night out of cooking an extravagant meal together. On the other hand, meal planning and cooking on a busy weeknight is a whole different story. Neither of us likes to do it, probably because it feels more like a chore than a fun hobby.
I do hope to become better about meal prepping at some point, but for now we’re always looking for recipes that are quick and easy to throw together during the week. This recipe for Garlic Tuna Pasta is one of our favorites that we usually make at least 1-2 times a month. Besides tasting delicious and being super simple to make, what I love about this pasta is that I typically always have all the ingredients on hand. So even if I haven’t made it to the grocery store for fresh produce, I can usually throw this together using a few staples I always keep stocked in my pantry.
Since this recipe is fairly simple, it’s easy to add in additional ingredients if you’d like. If I have any veggies on hand, like spinach, zucchini, grape tomatoes, or frozen peas, I’ll throw those in for some extra nutrition (just cook whatever veggies you’re using in a separate pan and add them to the finished pasta at the end). I almost always add capers to the pasta as long as I have some in the fridge, because they add a salty bite to the flavor that really kicks it up a notch. But if you don’t like capers or don’t have them on hand, your pasta will still turn out great without them.
Quick + Easy Garlic Tuna Pasta
Serves 2-4
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
8 ounces spaghetti (or any pasta you prefer)
½ cup pasta water, reserved
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed (see instructions for how to crush garlic below)
2 5-ounce cans tuna in water, drained
1 tablespoon capers (optional)
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Grated Parmesan cheese, for topping
Instructions
1 / Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
2 / In the meantime, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Once hot, add the crushed garlic cloves and sauté until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds.
3 / Reduce heat to low and add drained tuna and capers (if using). Simmer on low until pasta is done cooking, about 8-10 minutes, then discard crushed garlic cloves.
4 / Before draining the cooked pasta, add one ladleful of pasta water (approx. ½ cup) to olive oil/tuna mixture.
5 / Drain pasta and add to olive oil/tuna mixture. Add red pepper flakes and mix well.
6 / Top with Parmesan cheese to taste.
HOW TO CRUSH GARLIC
What you’ll need:
A sturdy, wide-bladed knife
Cutting board
Instructions:
1 / Place one clove of garlic on cutting board, skin on.
2 / Take the knife and place it directly over the garlic clove. Using the palm of your hand, press down hard, being careful to keep your hand away from the blade.
3 / Remove the skin from the garlic clove; at this point it should peel off fairly easily.
Essentials for Garlic Tuna Pasta
Stock up on these ingredients and keep them in your pantry so you’ll be ready to make Garlic Tuna Pasta the next time you need a quick + easy meal. Heads of garlic can be purchased at your local grocery store and stored in your pantry unpeeled for up to six months. Capers should be refrigerated after opening.
