You know what’s so great about pasta? It’s versatile, it’s budget friendly, and it can feed a lot of people. This pasta dish is made with items you may already have in your pantry and fridge. It’s also a creative way to use canned tuna. It isn’t just for those tuna salad sandwiches. You’re probably thinking tuna and salami? Together? It works. I amped up the flavors in the sauce with olives, capers, and lemon zest to compliment the tuna. The salami adds a little spiciness to the overall dish. This is a rather fast dish to put together which is perfect for a weeknight.

This is hot sopressata that I purchased from the deli. Sopressata is an Italian salami. Any type of spicy salami would work for this dish.

Whole wheat pasta makes the dish even healthier. The olives and capers elevate the flavors in the sauce.

Cut the salami into thin strips and saute with onions.

Easy sauce to make. It only takes 10 minutes. Also, making your own sauce allows you to control the salt content since store-bought sauces tend to be high in sodium. The greatest part about this dish no salt is needed.

Drain the canned tuna and add it to the sauce along with the pasta.

A little parsley. A little lemon zest. Dinner is ready.

Rotini with Tuna and Salami
adapted from Molto Batali

This recipe can be easily doubled to feed 4 to 6 people. I used about 3 cups of pasta instead of 4 because I like more sauce, and the sauce will slightly thicken as it cooks, and more so after it’s refrigerated.

serves 2 to 3

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
6 thin slices sopressata (spicy Italian salami), cut into long thin strips
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1 tablespoon capers, drained
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 14.5 oz crushed tomatoes (such as Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes)
1 5 oz canned tuna, drained
3 to 4 cups rotini (spiral) pasta
zest of 1 small lemon
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta.

Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the salami and onions, and saute for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are softened. Add the garlic, olives, capers, red pepper flakes, and crushed tomatoes. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce will thicken. Stir in the tuna and pasta, and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until warmed through. Remove pan from heat. Transfer the pasta to a serving bowl. Add the lemon zest and parsley, toss to combine, and serve.