Healthy Recipe, Tuna on Angel Hair Pasta

It’s handy to have a container of cherry tomatoes around to jazz up a salad or brighten up a sheet pan meal. Toss a couple of containers-full into a pan of sizzling olive oil and cook for a few minutes until they burst and release their juices, and you’re halfway to dinner. This recipe, lightly adapted from “Simply Tomato” by Martha Holmberg, employs this technique to delicious effect to create a bold-flavored, nutrient-rich sauce for pasta with just a few pantry staples and a shower of herbs. A can of tuna supplies protein and omega-3s, although it’s surprisingly meaty-tasting without it. Serves 2-3. – Susan Puckett

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cups (about 1 ¼ pounds) cherry or grape tomatoes
• Kosher salt
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1/8 teaspoon dried chili flakes, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
• One 5-ounce can light tuna in oil, drained and broken into chunks
• 1 teaspoon cold butter
• 8 ounces angel hair pasta
• ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Add the tomatoes and cook until they begin to collapse and their juices run, then start to thicken, crushing them slightly with a spatula if needed, for about 6 to 10 minutes. 
3. Season with about ½ teaspoon of salt, add the garlic and Chile flakes, and cook for about 30 seconds. Then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lemon zest, 1 teaspoon of the lemon juice, the tuna, and the butter. 
4. Once the water boils, add 2 tablespoons of salt, then add the pasta. Stir it and cook until a minute shy of al dente according to package directions. Just before the pasta is ready, scoop out about ½ cup of the pasta water and set aside. 
5. Drain the pasta well, then add it to the skillet. Toss to thoroughly coat the pasta, adding enough of the pasta water to achieve a creamy consistency. Cook and stir over medium-low heat a minute or two, just long enough to coat the noodles. 
6. Taste and season with more salt, chili flakes, and/or lemon juice, if needed 
7. Serve in shallow bowls or plates and sprinkle each serving with basil. 

Susan Puckett is an Atlanta-based food writer and cookbook author

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