Pasta with Tuna, Olives and Cherry Tomatoes
This pasta with tuna, olives and cherry tomatoes is simple to make but packs in a lot of flavour. We first ate this at Delicia in Tallinn, Estonia. The dish was so good we had to try and make it ourselves within a week of returning home to Finland.
We like to use cherry plum tomatoes for their sweetness but any kind will do. We also like to use a mix black, green and red olives for both visual and flavour interest. You can use any kind of pasta but we like to use rigatoni in a nod to the original. Sometimes we like to add mozzarella for added richness but this is completely optional.
Serve this delicious pasta with garlic bread and some greens
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 clove garlic finely chopped
- 4 dried bird's eye chilis crumbled (optional)
- 500 g cherry tomatoes cut in half (or use medium-sized ripe tomatoes)
- 250 g tuna chopped into inch chunks
- 100 g mixed pitted olives (green, black and red)
- 2 tbsp capers
- 100 g fresh mozzarella chopped into 1cm chunks (optional)
- 300 g pasta shape of your choice (we used rigatoni)
Put a pan of salted water for the pasta on a medium heat.
Heat 4 tbsp of olive oil over a medium low heat. Add the garlic and slowly cook until softened but not caught.
Add the dried crumbled chilis and tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the tuna chunks and simmer for another 5 minutes until the tuna is nearly cooked through.
Add the olives and capers and simmer for 1 minute. Check for seasoning and remove from the heat. Set to one side while the pasta cooks.
Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions until al dente. Drain with a slotted spoon straight from the pasta pan into the sauce. Add the mozzarella and mix well.
Serve with garlic bread, and a side salad or other greens.