Tuna and Pasta is a great comfort food lunch that is easy to make and easy on your budget. Today was a comfort food type of day. The weather this week has been crazy. It was 72 °F (ca. 22 °C) the other day, and I was out walking in a short-sleeve shirt, and there was still snow on the ground in places. The next day I was out walking it was a little cooler about 54 °F (ca. 12 °C) and I receive a weather alert for snow. Two hours later, the temperature was near freezing, and it was snowing. Changing weather brings out the desire for comfort food. A quick look into my pantry and this was the result.
A Quick Tuna and Pasta Lunch
This Tuna and Pasta lunch takes very little time and little effort. Still, it is a delicious meal and it is also budget-friendly. Starkist has single serving (2.6 oz) pouches of flavored tuna, as well as salmon and chicken. They have over 20 different varieties that they market under the name “creations”. I often find them on sale for a dollar and keep them on hand. They are the perfect size for me and I can use them in a number of ways.
Since I have to watch my carb intake, I used pasta made from chickpeas. Borrowing from their website: “Banza pasta has 25 grams of protein, 13 grams of fiber, and 42 grams of net carbs per serving, and it has a low glycemic index. A traditional pasta serving has13 grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber, and 70 grams of net carbs”.
You can use any type of pasta you wish, spaghetti and linguine are common choices.
Once you have the pasta of your choice started, mince a clove of garlic. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil and when it is hot add the garlic. Heat the garlic, allowing the flavors to release. Keep the garlic moving in the pan so it does not burn. When you can smell the garlic, add the tuna fish. This dish will work with chicken or salmon as well. Mix well, if it appears too dry add a little more olive oil. Add in the crushed red pepper and cilantro if you are using it and bring to low heat.
When the pasta is done, reserve a little of the pasta water, rinse the pasta and add to the tuna. Mix well to coat the pasta. You might need to add a few spoons of the pasta water to keep the tuna from clumping and the dish moist.
It is now ready to enjoy.
Tuna and Pasta, A Comfort Food Lunch
Course: LunchCuisine: Comfort FoodDifficulty: Easy1
servings5
minutes20
minutes
This Tuna and Pasta lunch takes very little time and little effort. Still, it is a delicious meal, and it is also budget-friendly. Starkist has single serving (2.6 oz) pouches of flavored tuna, as well as salmon and chicken. They have over 20 different varieties that they market under the name “creations”. I often find them on sale for a dollar and keep them on hand. They are the perfect size for me and I can use them in a number of ways.
Ingredients
Starkist Tuna Creation, Your choice of flavor
Pasta, 2 oz serving
Olive Oil 1 tablespoon, more if you wish to add to the final dish
Garlic 1 Glove
Cilantro (optional)
Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
Directions
- Start your pasta using package directions.
- Heat the Olive Oil in a medium size pan
- Mince the garlic and add to the oil when it is hot.
- Cook the garlic until it is fragrant, make sure it does not burn
- Add the tuna, cilantro, and red pepper flakes to the garlic, mix well
- Bring the heat to low and heat the tuna mixture well.
- When pasta is finished, reserve a little of the pasta water. Drain and rinse the pasta, then add to the tuna
- Mix the pasta and tuna until the pasta is well coated. You may need to add a few spoonfuls of the pasta water. Some people will also enjoy this with a little more olive oil added.
- Plate and enjoy
It is now ready to enjoy.
Enjoy your Lunch
You can have this done in about 20 minutes, getting the water to boil is the longest part. As you can see. This is very simple to try. Try different Starkist creations, or just use a regular can of tuna and add your own spices. Both dry pasta and canned or pouched tuna should be standard pantry items.
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