This creamy tuna pasta recipe is very easy, super fast to prepare and ideal for a family dinner. Pasta with tuna is a very popular dish, in Italy and abroad, and can be made either with a base of tomato sauce, or by creating each time a new recipes, using fresh ingredients available for the seasons or just from your pantry.

Try pairing tuna with olive oil, fresh tomatoes and basil; or garlic, chili pepper and parsley; or capers, black olives, heavy cream and anchovies, like in this recipe. Not a big fan of anchovies? No fear; skip them all together and replace them with a tablespoon of sundried tomato paste or basil pesto. The instructions below are for 4 to 6 servings.

Ingredients and instructions:

• 1 can of tuna (better if in olive oil)


• 3 or 4 small anchovy fillets or 1 teaspoon of anchovy paste


• ½ cup of black olives (no pits)


• 1 teaspoon of capers, rinsed and well drained


• 2 tablespoons of chopped Italian Parsley


• ½ cup of heavy cream


• Salt and pepper

1. Fill a 5 quarter pot with water and place on the fire for the pasta.



2. Meanwhile, open the can of tuna and drain well. In a blender, mix the tuna with the anchovy fillets and the olives (make sure they have no pits), mix and transfer to a sauce pan.



3. Stir in the heavy cream, the capers and half of the chopped parsley, then cook over medium-low fire for a couple of minutes. Cover with a lid and set aside where it can stay warm.



4. When the water boils, add 1 teaspoon of salt, then the penne pasta, stir and cook al dente, about 1 minute short of the instructions cooking time on the package.



5. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water, drain the pasta and transfer immediately to the pan with the creamy tuna sauce



6. Mix well and, if the sauce is too tick, add some of the reserved cooking water to reach the desired consistency. Divide equally in individual shallow pasta bowls and top each one with the remaining chopped Italian parsley.



7. Serve immediately.

Buon appetito!

Note:

If you like, linguine or any other short type of pasta can be used for this recipe instead of the penne - like Fusilli, Rotini, or even Bow Ties.

An Italian Verdicchio or Pinot Grigio is my recommended wine for this dish.