Penne & Tuna Sauce

Pure Italian pantry cooking. This pasta sauce comes together with stuff already in your cupboard: a can of plum tomatoes, a tin of tuna, three anchovy fillets, garlic, an onion, and olive oil. Twenty minutes start to finish and you’ve got a meal worth slowing down for.

Don’t fear the anchovies. They melt into the oil under the back of a spoon and disappear, leaving behind that deep umami backbone that separates a good Italian sauce from a great one. Even people who claim to hate them won’t notice; they just taste richness.

The move with the tuna is to fold it in at the end and let it warm through, not cook through. You want big flaky chunks holding their shape, not a uniform pink puree. Five minutes uncovered to thicken the sauce and you’re done.

Use good oil-packed tuna if you can swing it. It’s a third of the ingredients in this dish and quality shows. Toss with hot penne and reserved pasta water to loosen if needed.

Pro Tips

• Smash the anchovies into the oil while they’re still cold so they break down evenly.
• Crush the canned tomatoes by hand for rustic texture, or pulse for smoother sauce.
• Reserve a cup of pasta water before draining; the starch helps the sauce cling.
• Skip extra salt. Anchovies and tuna bring all you need.
• Finish with a glug of raw olive oil for fragrance.

Variations

• Add a pinch of red pepper flakes for heat.
• Stir in a tablespoon of capers or chopped olives for a puttanesca direction.
• Top with toasted breadcrumbs instead of cheese (cheese isn’t traditional with seafood pasta in Italy).