Smoky Tuna Pasta

Thursday, August 14 2025

This is a simple and quick dish I make for lazy nights or adapt for meat-free nights. Serves two people.

Ingredients

• 1 small onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 red chilli
• 1 loosely packed cup of fresh sliced mushrooms
• 1 can of tuna in sunflower oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika or 2 bacon rashers (don’t use both; use one or the other)
• 200ml thick passata
• 200g pasta (see note)
• Pinch of salt
• Black pepper to taste
• Parmesan (optional)

Note: The sauce is chunky, so it pairs best with pastas that trap sauce and chunks, like penne, rigatoni, orecchiette, or fusilli. Thin pastas like linguine or spaghetti typically work better with lighter sauces and might let this sauce slide off, leaving you with plain pasta and chunky sauce eaten separately.

Here’s my advice: choose whatever you like. I personally enjoy alternating between plainer pasta and sauce, so I often use tagliatelle or linguine. I particularly like the mouthfeel of al dente linguine fini in this dish.

Method

1. Preheat a frying pan over medium heat.
2. Dice the onions. If using bacon, cut into 1–2 cm pieces.
3. If using bacon, add it to the preheated pan and cook until it starts producing oil. Add the diced onions and let them slowly caramelise for 4–5 minutes. If not using bacon, add a drop of oil and a pinch of salt, then fry the onions alone. I don’t use oil when using bacon because I have a good quality non-stick pan.
4. While the onions soften, slice the mushrooms and chilli, and mince the garlic. I don’t use a garlic press because I find it causes an acrid taste; I mince by hand with a knife.
5. After 4–5 minutes, the onions should be softening and gaining a golden hue. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for 4 minutes until nicely golden.
6. Add the garlic and chilli to the pan. If using smoked paprika instead of bacon, add it here. Cook while stirring for 30 seconds. Don’t let them burn.
7. Drain the tuna and add to the pan, stirring everything together. Cook for 30–60 seconds just to warm through.
8. Add the passata slowly, mixing everything together. Add about 100ml of water to loosen the mixture, depending on how it looks. You want a thick and rich sauce, not watery.
9. Reduce heat to simmer and cover with a lid. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t dry out or burn. I recommend tasting the sauce before adding salt, because some tuna brands can add a salty anchovy flavour. (If your sauce is tasting mellow here, maybe you’d even like to add some anchovy).
10. While the sauce simmers, bring a pot of salted water to boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions and your personal taste.
11. When the pasta is cooked, serve with the sauce poured over top. Season with black pepper and Parmesan for extra flavour.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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