Chef John's Spaghetti al Tonno

Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Servings: 4
Yield: 4 servings

Description

This recipe for spaghetti with tuna is quick, easy, and has all the rich flavor of a classic meat sauce. It's ready in less than an hour!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 anchovy fillet
2 tablespoons capers
3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 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
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 (12 ounce) package spaghetti
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, or to taste
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, or to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, or to taste

Directions

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.