Chilli tuna pasta
A full-flavoured tuna pasta dish that makes two generous portions. Using tinned fish is an easy way to incorporate fish into your diet and it’s usually cheaper than fresh or frozen fish.
This recipe is part of a budget meal plan for two. In September 2023, this recipe was costed at an average of £1.35 when checking prices at four UK supermarkets. It is designed to be made in conjunction with a low-cost store-cupboard.
Ingredients
- 150g/5½oz dried spaghetti, or other pasta shapes
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- ¼–½ tsp dried chilli flakes, to taste
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- ¼ tsp dried mixed herbs or oregano
- 145g tin tuna chunks, any kind, well drained
- ground black pepper
Method
Half fill a large saucepan with water, cover with a lid and bring to the boil over a high heat. Stir in the pasta and cook uncovered for 10–12 minutes, or until the pasta is tender but retains just a little ‘bite’. Stir occasionally as the pasta cooks to separate the strands.
Put the oil in a large frying pan, add the garlic and chilli and cook over a low heat for 20–30 seconds, stirring regularly. (Be careful not to let the garlic burn or it will make the sauce taste bitter.) Stir the tomatoes into the pan, add the dried herbs and bring to a gentle simmer.
Cook the sauce for 8–10 minutes, stirring regularly until it is thickened and glossy. Add the tuna and cook together for 1 minute more. Season with a little salt and lots of ground black pepper.
Drain the pasta and add to the tomato and tuna sauce. Toss together until well combined then serve.
Recipe Tips
You could add sliced olives to this sauce for an extra punchy flavour. If you have leftover roasted peppers in a jar, they can be sliced and added to the sauce a couple of minutes before the end of the cooking time.
If you have any prawns in the freezer, you could use here instead of the tuna, or add smoked bacon, chorizo or ham if you have some in the fridge to use up.
If you don’t have any spaghetti handy, you can use tagliatelle or linguine instead, or any other pasta shapes.
Any leftovers can be chilled then reheated in the microwave the next day.
Summer
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