Tuna and Garlic Pasta Recipe

Here’s another quick and simple meat-less recipe for the Lenten Season— a legacy from my dear departed sister-in-law, who used to cook this for her half-Italian kids.

Garlic (lots of it!), tuna, and penne pasta are the basic ingredients. And 30-40 minutes is all the time you need to prepare this. I fell in love with this simple but flavorful recipe at first taste, I just had to learn to cook it—not a big feat,

as you will see, cause it’s so amazingly easy to do.

Thank you, Ate Jonna, for this recipe.  Each time I cook your tuna and garlic pasta, it’s always an homage to you.

TUNA AND GARLIC PASTA ALA JONNA 

Ingredients

• 1 400 gram package penne pasta
• 2-3 100 gram / 6 oz cans of tuna (I use Century Tuna flakes in vegetable oil or water)
• 2 whole BULBS of garlic, diced  
• 2-3 tbsps ground black pepper
• 3-4 tbsps Salt  
• 3 tbsps packaged basil (I use Mc Cormick basil that comes in bottles) or 5-6 leaves fresh basil      
• A handful of Parsley
• 2 cups Olive oil or vegetable oil

Directions 

To cook the pasta:

•       Boil 4 cups of water
•     Once the water is boiling, add the pasta. Water should be enough to cover your pasta by around 1 ½ inches.  Boil under high heat until it’s al dente (cooked and firm). 

•     While pasta is cooking, add 2 tbsps of salt and 1 tbsp ground black pepper, for more flavor.   
•       Don’t forget to stir the pasta every now and then while boiling so that pieces don’t stick to the bottom of the pot.

(How to know when pasta is cooked? Cut a piece in half; if the color inside (the pasta’s cross section) is the same as the outside, then it’s cooked. If the inside appears whiter than the outside, it’s still raw.)

• Once the pasta is cooked, drain and set aside. Do not wash pasta with water. It will keep the flavors of the tuna and garlic sauce from being absorbed by the pasta.   

To cook the tuna and garlic mixture:

• Saute diced garlic in olive or vegetable oil until under low heat, until slightly golden. Use a pan that’s big enough to accommodate the pasta.

•          Add tuna to the garlic. Mix well while sauteeing.

•          When the tuna is somehow tender, season with the remaining salt, pepper, and the basil.

•          Finally, add the pasta to the sauteed tuna and garlic. Mix well under low heat.
  
   

•          Add parsley for extra flavor (and design!)