Chef John's Spaghetti al Tonno

Spaghetti al tonno is one of my all-time favorite go-to pasta dishes. I love a classic meat sauce as much as the next half-Italian, but when I want something quick and easy for a weeknight meal, I reach for the tuna. What if you don't like fish? Then this is perfect. The taste and texture is really closer to a veal sauce than one made with fish.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 35 mins
• Total Time: 55 mins
• Calories: 620 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons capers
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes, or to taste
• ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, or to taste
• ¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, or to taste
• 1 anchovy fillet
• 3 cups crushed Italian (plum) tomatoes (such as San Marzano)
• 1 (7 ounce) can oil-packed tuna, drained
• 1 (12 ounce) package spaghetti
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, or to taste

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir anchovy and capers in hot oil until anchovy crumbles, about 2 minutes. Add garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Step 2

Pour white wine, oregano, and red pepper flakes into the skillet and increase heat to high; cook until mixture reduces and about 3 tablespoons of liquid remain, 2 to 4 minutes.

Step 3

Stir tomatoes into the skillet and bring to a simmer. Season tomato mixture with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until slightly reduced, about 10 minutes.

Step 4

Stir tuna and 1/4 cup parsley into tomato sauce, breaking up tuna with a wooden spoon while stirring. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Step 5

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until almost cooked through and still slightly firm to the bite, 9 to 11 minutes. Drain and transfer spaghetti back to the pot.

Step 6

Pour tomato sauce over spaghetti into the pot; stir to combine, cover the pot with a lid, and let sit until spaghetti is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Ladle spaghetti into bowls, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, and sprinkle Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and parsley over the top.