Linguine with Tuna Puttanesca

{this week’s menu is up!}

I LOVE Italian food, and my meals from last week just prove that {ending with an Italian themed dinner party}. This was the first of a slew of Italian recipes that made it to our plates last week. I can’t help it. I would make Italian food every single night if I didn’t think I would gain 100 lbs.

This is a really easy dish that makes for great leftovers. We had a lot left, and I ate it the next day cold for lunch which was a fabulous idea.

Linguine with Tuna Puttanesca {modified from FoodNetwork.com}

Ingredients:

Kosher salt
12 ounces linguine
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 can black olives
14 oz plum tomatoes
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 5-ounce cans albacore tuna, packed in olive oil
Freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until al dente.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until slightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes.
Cut the olives into pieces. Add to the garlic mixture and cook for 2 minutes.
Cut the tomatoes into halves. Cook until the tomatoes are slightly dry, about 2 minutes.
Add the pasta sauce to the mixture. Turn heat down to medium-low.
Add the tuna with its oil, breaking it up with a fork, and season with salt.
Drain the pasta and put it back in the pot.
Add the sauce and toss.

Grade: B

Comments: This is delicious, but if I had to do it all over again I would have added a ton more vegetables. I made some pretty big changes from the original recipe just to make it more filling. It is really good, and the tuna goes well with the cooked tomatoes. It is definitely a “lighter” Italian meal, and even though I was full when I was done eating I wasn’t stuffed. Like I said, the leftovers were great the next day cold for my lunch. It would be great for entertaining!