Chef John’s Spaghetti al Tonno

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Description

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.

Ingredients

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

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir anchovy and capers in hot oil until anchovy crumbles
  2. about 2 minutes. Add garlic; cook and stir until fragrant
  3. about 1 minute.
  4. Pour white wine
  5. oregano
  6. and red pepper flakes into the skillet and increase heat to high; cook until mixture reduces and about 3 tablespoons of liquid remain
  7. 2 to 4 minutes.
  8. Stir tomatoes into the skillet and bring to a simmer. Season tomato mixture with salt
  9. black pepper
  10. and cayenne pepper. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until slightly reduced
  11. about 10 minutes.
  12. Stir tuna and 1/4 cup parsley into tomato sauce
  13. breaking up tuna with a wooden spoon while stirring. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 10 minutes.
  14. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water
  15. stirring occasionally until almost cooked through and still slightly firm to the bite
  16. 9 to 11 minutes. Drain and transfer spaghetti back to the pot.
  17. Pour tomato sauce over spaghetti into the pot; stir to combine
  18. cover the pot with a lid
  19. and let sit until spaghetti is cooked through
  20. about 3 minutes. Ladle spaghetti into bowls
  21. drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil
  22. and sprinkle Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and parsley over the top.

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 35 mins

Total Time: 55 mins

Servings: 4

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