Spaghetti al Tonno
Spaghetti with tinned tuna, tomato, garlic, capers and parsley, a store cupboard supper ready in 20 minutes.
Photograph credit: Spaghetti al tonno by 10Rosso · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
The first sign it is ready is the smell: garlic turning pale gold in olive oil and the tomatoes starting to break down. Spaghetti al tonno is the dish Italians make from the cupboard, with tinned tuna, tinned tomatoes, capers and parsley.
Use tuna packed in olive oil, which has more flavour and stays soft. Drain it and flake it. Add the tuna at the end, off the heat, stirring in gently, because tinned fish cooks to dry crumbs if it simmers. The sauce itself needs only 10 minutes: garlic, a pinch of chilli, tomatoes and capers.
Boil the spaghetti until a minute short of done and finish it in the pan with the sauce and a ladle of the cooking water. The starch in the water gives the sauce a gloss. Finish with chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon. It goes on the table in 20 minutes and uses things most kitchens already have.
Spaghetti al Tonno: Step by Step
Tap a step to highlight it, or turn on Cook Mode for large type and step-by-step focus.
-
Soften the garlic and chilli in the oil for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and capers and simmer for 10 minutes.
-
Boil the spaghetti in salted water until 1 minute short of done. Keep a cup of the water.
-
Toss the spaghetti in the sauce with a splash of the water for 1 minute.
-
Off the heat, fold in the flaked tuna, parsley and lemon juice.
A Few Pointers
- Choose tuna in olive oil for flavour.
- Add the tuna off the heat so it stays moist.
- Use pasta water to give the sauce a gloss.
If You're Missing Something
- An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.
Pairs Well With
Green salad · Dry white wine · Crusty bread
Keeping and Reheating
Best fresh. Keeps for 1 day in the fridge.
What's in a Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
Cooked this? Keep a note for next time
Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked.
First published ; last changed .
You Might Also Like
More Italian cooking and quick meals ideas from Weekly Delight.
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
Four ingredients, twelve minutes, and one of the great late-night dishes of the world. The whole thing turns on how…
Spaghetti Pomodoro
Spaghetti tossed with a fresh tomato sauce of olive oil, garlic and basil, simmered for 15 minutes and finished with…
Spaghetti alla Bottarga
Spaghetti with garlic, chilli, olive oil and grated bottarga, the cured grey mullet roe, ready in 17 minutes.
Spaghetti with Breadcrumbs
Spaghetti tossed with garlic, chilli and olive oil and topped with toasted breadcrumbs instead of cheese.
Italian Seasoning
The everyday jar of dried herbs for pizza, pasta sauce and roast vegetables: oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary and…
Eggs in Purgatory
Eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce with garlic and chili, served with bread. Two servings in 25 minutes.