OK, the first wonderful thing about this simple pasta dish…. Wait, I just broke one of my cardinal rules of etiquette. I wrote a spoiler alert in the first sentence of this post! (I wrote that this was a simple pasta dish.) That kind of information should have been saved for a little later in this write-up. Oh well…………..

But since I already gave away one of the top reasons you should rush into your kitchen and prepare this amazing dish, I might just as well tell you all the other reasons you must treat yourself and your family to this fabulous pasta sooner rather than later. Because if you wait, you’re only going to kick yourself (you know where) for not having built this dish already. Just sayin’. (I speak from experience.)

My dear friend Ellen sent me this recipe a few weeks ago, and for whatever reason I only got around to preparing it a couple nights ago. (What was I waiting for?) Anyway, I changed things up a bit from Ellen’s recipe, because I simply can’t leave well enough alone. It’s just not how I operate. But boy oh boy, what a tasty treat this was for dinner. And the ease of preparation, use of fairly common ingredients that I almost always have on hand, absolutely contributed to the pleasurable dining experience Mr. C. and I shared. I served the pasta with a simple green salad, and life was good. And I wasn’t exhausted. Better and better.

Now don’t be frightened by a whole can of anchovies. Or the capers. If you are not familiar with these two exquisite ingredients, it’s high time you learned how much flavor they can bring to a dish. And canned tuna in a red sauce? I for one had no idea how much I would enjoy the combination.

And yes I know, eating tuna, especially albacore tuna, can be risky. But according to Medical News Today, adults weighing over 150 pounds should not eat tuna more often than every 9 days. Well, for us that is not a problem. We actually rarely eat tuna. But I must say, there are always a couple of cans in our pantry because you just never know when a tuna fish sandwich craving might occur! It definitely has been known to happen at Chez Carr!

So if you are in the mood to create a quick, simple, low fat, and different pasta dish some evening, I highly recommend you give this recipe a try. We loved it. And another nice thing I need to mention before you wander off to your real life – no Parmesan cheese required. It was actually called for in the original recipe, so of course you can add Parmesan if you must. But I really felt it would be superfluous. Plus just more calories we really don’t need!

As always, think healthy, cook healthy, and stay healthy. Peace and love to all.

¼ c. chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 T. capers

3 T. extra virgin olive oil

½ lg. yellow onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 can (2-oz.) anchovy fillets packed in olive oil (oil discarded)

1 lg. can (28 oz.) plum tomatoes in their own juice (Italian preferred)

1 T. tomato paste

4 oz. sliced pimentos

¼ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

pinch crushed red pepper flakes

1 (6-7 oz.) can tuna, drained and chunked into small pieces (I use Kirkland brand albacore tuna)

8 oz. thin spaghetti, cooked al dente  

Combine the parsley, dried oregano, and capers in a bowl. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large fry pan. Add the onion and cook until soft but not brown. Add the garlic and anchovy fillets and cook for 1 minute. (I break up the anchovy fillets while they cook.)

Stir in the canned tomatoes (juice and all), tomato paste, pimentos, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Let simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes. Add the tuna and heat through.

Toss in the al dente pasta and the parsley mixture. Simmer for a minute or two. Serve immediately.