recipe – tuna and sardine pasta

My boyfriend and I don’t spend much time together during the week. I work during the day, he works nights. When I’m leaving for work, he’s sleeping; and when he gets home, I’m in bed. But we make it work. And one of my favorite ways we do this is by leaving each other notes. Yes, hand written notes. We’ve probably written hundreds of them to each other. The notes can range from, “please make me iced coffee” to “pick your shit up off the bed” to “your dinner is in the microwave”.

This was a day where I got a “pick your shit up off the bed” note, and I thereafter wrote him a, “your dinner is in the microwave” note. I just want to be clear here – we are writing this happily to each other and with many exclamation marks hearts <3.

I had half a can of whole sardines left in the fridge, so I dumped it whole (oil and all) with an entire can of tuna and its juice. The liquid from the cans will retain moisture with the following steps, so don’t strain it.

There was enough oil in my sardines, so I didn’t add any more. But if you’re just using a can of tuna in water, add a little olive oil before adding the chopped garlic.

I hoard cans of 28oz tomato sauce in my cabinet like the tomato apocalypse was coming. Dump about half the can of sauce to mix in with the tuna and sardines, and season to taste. Once melded together, add the half a pound of cooked pasta.

Everything is per your own taste and preferences. So as you can see here, I was like nah fuck it, I need more tomato sauce. Feel it out. I also added about 2tb of cream cheese to bind the sauce together. Almost like a penne alla vodka, but the cheat version.

And there you have it – sardine and tuna pasta sauce (photographed here with a wad of somewhat melted cheese). I would like to mention though, when my boyfriend got home and saw the “food is in the microwave” note, he heated it up with cheese and called me over. Now why would he do that? Only to help with a cheesepull so I could post it on my Instagram. That’s love.

 

—INGREDIENTS—

• Half a pound of pasta (I used rotini)
• About half a can of 28oz tomato sauce
• Oil of your choice
• 1 can tuna in water (or oil, and omit adding more oil)
• Optional: Can of sardines
• 2 TB cream cheese
• About 4 garlic cloves
• Dry spices: fresh cracked pepper, garlic powder, oregano, red pepper flakes
• Cheese is optional for serving

 

—DIRECTIONS—

1. Boil pasta al dente, since you’ll be finishing it in the sauce and don’t want the pasta to fall apart.
2. In a separate pot, throw in a can of tuna and its juices (if using sardines, add them whole with the oil) on medium heat. If you want it less chunky, feel free to break apart the meat. Once warmed through and a lot of the liquid has dissipated, add sliced garlic. Note: If there isn’t much oil in the pan or you didn’t use sardines in oil, add a little so the garlic doesn’t burn. Stir around for less than 5 minutes until you smell the garlic.
3. To the tuna and sardines, add about half of a 28 oz can of tomatoes (can be chunky or pureed, but not whole). Eyeball it, because it should match the amount of pasta you’re making. Stir it all together and season per your taste. Let meld together, about 10 minutes on low with a lid on or with a gap. Add in the 2 tablespoons of cream cheese closer to the end, and mix thoroughly until fully melted.
4. If the sauce tastes good, add the cooked pasta and mix together. I usually do this on a lower heat for a few minutes to let everything bind together.
5. Serve as is – or – like my boyfriend did here, throw on some thin pieces of mozzarella to let it just coat the top for additional cheesiness.

 

—AMOUNT—

About 4 servings.