Joey's Pasta and Tomatoes with Tuna Sauce

 

 

  Usually, when you think of tomato gravy, (or sauce as you may say in your family), you think of meatballs, am I right? Or probably at least some sort of long-simmered meat sauce.... mmm you just can't beat a delicious Sunday Gravy that has cooked all day. You may also think of adding hot or mild Italian sausage, sometimes even chicken or crabs. (OMG I LOVE linguine with crab gravy). But have you ever made a tomato sauce with tuna??

 I must say it's not usually my go-to, but I was in a pasta kinda mood, and I was looking in my pantry for something to add to the pan along with my jars of home canned Jersey tomatoes, and then I saw a big can of tuna. I immediately remembered when my sister, Jeanie, made a rigatoni dish with tuna many many years ago, and I thought AHA! This is the answer! 

 Well, of course, I had no recipe.... I just started throwing things into a pan, whatever sounded good, whatever I had on hand. Lo and behold! It turned out great!! Like, much better than I expected, if I'm being honest. The most surprising thing I noticed is how fresh and light it was. Do you know how sometimes you eat a big dish of pasta and you feel like a ton of bricks afterward? That was not the case with this one. I even had seconds, and it was just enough to hit the spot without being to much.

 So then I got to thinking, this is the perfect dish to serve if you like to do Meatless Mondays (yes, thats a thing) or if you religiously choose not to eat meat on Fridays. Serve it with some warm crusty bread and a nice schmear of butter and you'll be living your best life. I promise! Try it!

 

1 lb box of your favorite shape of cut pasta (I used cavatappi)

several big glugs of good olive oil 

1 small onion, minced

3 or 4 large cloves of garlic (or more to taste), sliced

A dozen or so fresh cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

2 heaping tbs tomato paste

2 large cans crushed tomatoes (or your home canned tomatoes)

a sprinkle of salt and crushed red pepper flakes to taste

1 large (or 2 small) cans white albacore tuna, drained well

a handful of fresh basil, chopped

Grated Parmesan cheese

 

 

  In a large pot of boiling salted water, add your pasta and boil until it's just about but not quite tender. 

Meanwhile, in a large sauce pan or pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Now add the onions, grape tomatoes, and garlic. Saute and stir until everything starts to break down a bit. The onions will soften, the tomatoes will give off their juice, the garlic with soften and sizzle. Now add the tomato paste. Stir well so that it mixes with the oil and starts to become a deeper crimson color. Now it's time for your crushed tomatoes. Add them, juice and all, to your pan. Give it a good stir, add your seasonings and basil. Let it simmer for a few minutes while you drain your can(s) of tuna. Add your tuna to the sauce and give it gentle stir, breaking it up slightly, but not completely. I like to leave a few chunks in tact. 

 Drain your pasta well. If your sauce pan is large enough, drop your pasta into the sauce, and gently toss to combine. If your pan isn't that big, place the pasta in a large serving boil, and pour sauce over it. If you want your pasta to be a little more saucy, just add a little bit of the pasta water to it. 

Top with grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

Tips:

If you're so inclined, try this recipe with the tuna that is packed in olive oil and imported from Italy. It's a bit softer and a little more expensive, but boy is it good!

Be sure to add enough salt to your pasta boiling water. A little sprinkle isn't gonna cut it. Try an entire handful instead. The water should taste salty like the ocean!

This sauce loves a little extra spice, do you? Add a bit more of the crushed red pepper flakes!

Would you like to stretch this recipe to feed more people? Try adding some sliced zucchini or yellow summer squash with your sauteed grape tomatoes. It goes really well with this sauce and you'll have enough to feed an army!

Tuna Sloppy Joes

 OK, I know there are already one or two of you out there who are crinkling your noses at the thought of a tuna Sloppy Joe. And to that I say Don't knock it 'til you've tried it!
 Seriously, though, why???? I literally asked 5 people if the idea of a tuna Sloppy Joe sounded good or gross. ALL FIVE said things like "ew" or "yuck" or my favorite: "you're gonna need to convince me." Ok, this is me convincing you!
 For those of you who may not know, a Sloppy Joe is a sandwich, usually served on a bun, usually made of ground meat in a slightly sweet tomato based sauce. So why doesn't anyone want to swap out the beef for some tuna? Is it the tomato sauce? Well, no, because it's very common to add tuna to a tomato sauce for pasta. So it beats me why my panel of judges gave this idea an immediate thumbs down. I thought it sounded pretty great, to be quite honest! In fact, I found several different recipes for it, so CLEARLY I'm not the only one! My only dilemma was which recipe to try!
 It came down to two ideas: Make the sauce from scratch, or just open a can Sloppy Joe sauce. Well, of course I tried BOTH, because I needed to see which one was better!! Usually, with beef Sloppy Joes, I would just open up a can of Manwich sauce and call it a day, but I wanted to try the scratch recipe to see if it was as good or even better.
 The recipe below is from Clover Leaf Seafood, which is based in Ontario Canada. It has several ingredients in it, all very easy. You mince a few aromatics, simmer the sauce, add tuna, and there it is. And guess what? It was DELISH! It's everything you want in a Sloppy Joe, only without the meat, and it's a great alternative to your usual Friday night fish sandwich.
And then I tried the Manwich sauce. Very similar, but slightly different, and also quite delicious! So as far as which one is better, I think it's a solid TIE for the win. I guess it depends what you have in your cupboard. Do you have a can of Manwich? Easy and fast. Do you have the other ingredients? Go for the scratch recipe. Either way, you'll have a yummy saucy sammy that is everything a Sloppy Joe should be. You should give it a try!!

1 tbs vegetable oil

1 small onion, very finely chopped

1 cup grated carrot

1 small red pepper, very finely chopped

1 can condensed tomato soup

1 tbs balsamic vinegar

2 tsp EACH dry mustard powder and chili powder

1 tsp EACH Worcestershire sauce and honey

2 12oz cans tuna in water, drained 

Heat the oil in a skillet set over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and red pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in the soup, vinegar, mustard powder, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, and honey. Bring to a boil. Simmer, stirring often, for 8 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the tuna and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through. Spoon the tuna mixture over toasted buns; top with cheese and green onion, (optional.)

Tips:
Even with the Manwich sauce, I still sauteed some onions and peppers and then added them to the canned sauce with the tuna. It just makes it better!

The original recipe called for one soup can of water, I suppose that is to give it time to simmer while reducing the sauce. I omitted the water just to save time!

Joey's Parmesan Tuna Cakes

 There are some things I like to buy in bulk, and canned tuna is one of them. It's always a good thing to have when you want a quick lunch. Mix it up with a little mayo, some chopped celery, and maybe a bit of onion, serve it on some fresh greens with a slice of tomato,  and boom, lunch is served. But as much as I love regular straight up tuna salad, sometimes I get bored with the same old tuna recipe. So I decided to come up with something a little more interesting. As I usually do, I took a quick survey of what ingredients I happened to have on hand, and then ran with it. This was the result! I figured this would be a win for anyone who might be choosing to do meatless Mondays, or meatless Fridays, or for those of us who do better without so many carbs. And they're delish!
 Full disclosure, I really had no idea what I was doing when I was throwing things into the bowl. I know crab cakes usually have bread crumbs in them or on them (which is why they get all lovely and browned and crisp on the outside when you fry them). I didn't want to do bread crumbs, so I tested a couple with a coating of cheese on the outside hoping to acheive the same result, but I found that you don't even need it! They browned beautifully just from the cheese that was already in the mixture.
 So I hope you'll give this one a try. Feel free to tweak it to suit your own tastes, and be sure to let me know if you discover any yummy new variations. I love to hear about it!
Ok then great then thanx then!!


2 (5oz cans) white Albacore tuna in water, well drained
2 eggs
1 tbs Dijon or brown mustard
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup celery, finely minced
1/2 cup bell pepper, finely minced
1/4 cup onion, finely minced
black pepper to taste


Simply stir all ingredients together until everything is well combined and the tuna is well incorporated. Let the mixture stand for a good 5-10 minutes. Heat up your skillet with a little oil or melted butter. (I like to use a cast iron skillet). Scoop up some of the mixture by half cupfuls and place in the skillet to form patties. Let them brown for a few minutes and then flip to do the same thing on the other side. Serve immediately or keep in a warm oven until ready to serve.

Tips:
Be sure to let the mixture sit for a few minutes before going to the skillet because the cheese will work like bread crumbs to bind and tighten everything up a bit.
 Serve with tartar sauce or cocktail sauce, just as you would serve crab cakes. I like them with a bit of mayonnaise mixed with horse radish or horse radish sauce. You could also serve them on a bun as tuna burgers with a slice of tomato and some fresh lettuce.
This recipe makes 4 or 5 large patties, but you can easily make them smaller for sliders.
 There's no need to add salt because the cheese is salty enough. Just sayin!
You can also use canned salmon instead of tuna, and you can also stretch the recipe if you need to. Just add another can!

Joey's Tuna Pomodoro

 

 This is a little something I threw together when Glen came over for dinner. I was feeling culinarily creative, and this was the result.
 Very often, when I decide to create a recipe, I don't get it right on the very first try. Usually, I'll taste my first attempt and say it needs this or it needs that. But this time, I think I nailed it perfectly on the very first go. I loved it from the first bite! I was going for something that was uncomplicated and fresh, and that's exactly what this is. The tuna is rich without hindering the sweetness of the tomatoes and the parsley adds the perfect garden freshness. It's light and healthy, perfect for a summer lunch, and it only takes minutes to prepare. It's also sophisticated enough to serve for an elegant dinner. You could even omit the pasta and serve it as a first course over slices of toasted baguette, much like a Bruschetta. Whoda thunk that something as simple as tuna and tomatoes could be so fabulous?!?
Hope you like it!


1 can Italian tuna, packed in olive oil
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pints fresh grape tomatoes
a handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped
a few glugs of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. angel hair pasta

Place a large pot of salted water over high heat. While you're waiting for it to boil, make the tuna sauce.
Drain the oil from the tuna into a saucepan. Place over medium heat and add onions and garlic. Gently saute until the onions are softened. Slice each tomato in half then add to the pan. Give it a good stir. Now add the tuna and parsley. Finish the sauce with a little more olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Throw the pasta into the water, which is probably boiling by now. Cook it for about 2 minutes. Drain pasta and toss with the sauce. Serve immediately.

Tips:
Feel free to substitute any kind of pasta or any kind of tomatoes. Rather have penne? Perfect! If the cherry tomatoes look better than the grape tomatoes, or if you happen to have a ton of extra tomatoes from your garden, go for it!
When you make the sauce, if it seems like there won't be enough for the pasta, add a little splash or two of the pasta water or a few extra glugs of olive oil or even white wine. Let it simmer for a minute or two before you toss with the pasta.

Joey's Favorite Macaroni Salad

This is another family favorite for you to serve at your next barbecue. It's everything you want a recipe to be. It's quick and easy, it doesn't take a lot of ingredients, it's inexpensive, it feeds a crowd, and everyone loves it! Some people don't add tuna to their macaroni salad, but just like many of my favorite recipes, it's how my Mom always made it. If you've never tried it, you need to stop what you're doing right now and make this. You can thank me later.

1 lb. elbow macaroni
1 can albacore white tuna (packed in water)
1 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 tbs sweet pickle relish
salt and pepper to taste



In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the elbows until they're tender, but not mushy. Drain them and then plunge them into cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain them again and put them into a large mixing bowl. Drain the can of tuna, and use a fork, a spoon or even your fingers to break it up as you add it to the bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Serve immediately or store (covered) in the fridge until your guests arrive.

Tips:
As I always say, this is a recipe from the Cass Quaile School of Cooking. In this case, she'd say "If you like a lot of celery, add a lot of celery. If you like a lot of onions, add a lot of onions."
The relish and the tuna are key to this recipe. If you left out the elbow macaroni, you'd be left with a fabulous tuna salad which would be amazing on your favorite lightly toasted bread.
You can add a little pickle juice or water if it needs to be thinned down a little.
If you're cooking for a huge gang, you can easily double this recipe. Save time and make it a day in advance!

Tuna Dip

Here's an easy dip that only takes 5 minutes to throw together. It's perfect if you have unexpected company, or if you're running late for a party with no idea what to bring. Great then!


1 6oz can solid white tuna in water, drained
1 8oz pkg cream cheese
1/3 cup mayonnaise


Put all ingredients in small bowl and mix with a mixer.
That's all there is to it!
Serve with Wheat Thins.

Tip:
This one has to be done with a mixer. It sort of doesn't really work so well if you mix it by hand. The mixer breaks up the tuna and gives it more of a whipped consistency.
You can use any other kind of tuna (packed in oil or chunk light), but I prefer the solid white packed in water.

Kickass Tuna Casserole

My oldest nephew's name is Dan, but to me he'll always be Daniel Boone. I made this recipe for him several years ago. After his first bite, he declared that this was KICKASS! Could this be one of the reasons he calls me Uncle Favorite? (or just Favey, for short). This one's for you, Daniel Boone!


1 lb. wide egg noodles
1 onion, diced
1 lb baby carrots
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup button mushrooms, sliced
1 can white albacore tuna, packed in water, drained well
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
milk to fill up one soup can
8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large pot of boiling water, cook noodles until al dente. In the meantime, saute vegetables until slightly softened. In a large bowl, mix tuna, soups, milk, and shredded cheese. Drain cooked noodles and add to bowl, along with sauteed vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Stir until everything is evenly coated with sauce. Pour everything into a large casserole dish. Bake for about 30 minutes or until veggies are tender and everything is bubbly.


Tip:
This is another one of those recipes that can be changed and varied depending on what ingredients you might have on hand. You can substitute cooked cubed chicken for the tuna, and vary the vegetables to your heart's content. And again, it's the Cass Quaile School of Cooking. The amounts are just guidelines. "Do you like a lot of carrots? Add a lot of carrots. Do you like a lot of mushrooms? Add a lot of mushrooms."