I’ve realised recently (or perhaps I’ve been aware of it for quite a while, ahem) that I rarely share recipes for actual meals here.
Cakes and cookies are well represented as are sides and sauces and things made with bourbon, but it seems — other than an occasional sandwich which totally counts as a complete meal — that brunch is about as close as I get to full blown, serve to guests or family members for dinner, dishes.
Given, most things I eat during the day are fridge surprise bowls, with or without an egg on top, and while they regularly dance across Instagram they don’t seem to make it this far. And since dinner tends to be leftovers from that day’s shoots, or homemade pizza, or scrambled eggs, it rarely even warrants a phone snap.
But I’m out to change all that * she whispers under her voice as to not commit herself too fully lest the cakes and sandwiches win, again * and conveniently this lunch appeared just in time.
As it stands, Roasted Tomato & Tuna Pasta is a quick and easy meal — however it’s also stunningly flexible and brilliantly forgiving.
Tomatoes a bit past their prime or not quite as flavourful as they should be? A bit of time in the oven will fix that in the blink of an eye. Tuna can be replaced with tinned salmon or sardines, and even leftover shredded chicken or sautéed mushrooms would stand-in just fine.
Pasta can be any shape you fancy, and while I go for whole grain or spelt or ancient grain/gluten-free versions, whatever happens to be in your cupboard is perfectly fine (thank you very much). A bowl of quinoa or rice and even cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles would work well too.
Of course you could forgo the bowl all together and pop the ingredients on toasted sourdough and call it a day, but let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves as that may well show up as another recipe on another day. See, the sandwiches always win.
Roasted Tomato & Tuna Pasta
Roasting tomatoes brings out their natural sweetness (as well as saving ones that are just a bit past their prime). Pairing them with omega-3 loaded fish and quick-cooking pasta makes for a quick and filling meal.
I opt for whole-wheat, spelt or ancient-grain/gluten-free pasta whenever possible, but of course you can forgo the pasta all together and pile the other ingredients on toasted sourdough. Real food, fast.
Serves 1, multiply as desired
INGREDIENTS
- 10 cherry tomatoes
- 75 g tuna in water or oil, drained
- 75 – 100 g spaghetti
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp dried Italian herbs
- sea salt & cracked pepper
- parsley & chilli flakes, to garnish
METHOD
Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Bring a pot of water to the boil, salt well and cook pasta according to packet directions.
Arrange tomatoes in a single layer on a baking paper lined tray, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with herbs, season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast in preheated oven 15 – 20 minutes until just starting to collapse.
Drain pasta and tip into serving bowl, top with tomatoes and pan-juices from roasting and flake over tuna. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and chilli flakes, drizzle over a bit more olive oil if you wish.
VARIATIONS
- Replace tuna with salmon, sardines, shredded chicken or sautéed mushrooms
- Replace pasta with quinoa, rice, couscous, barley, cauliflower rice, zucchini noodles or sourdough
dairy-free // nut-free // soy-free // gluten-free option // vegetarian option // vegan option // almost-recipe
That looks divine! I love that you had to make a conscious effort to share a “full” meal though!
Love the new look JJ and, of course, the idea of sharing a full meal. This looks like my kind of a quick toss together for a delicious dinner combo.
looks wonderful
Lovely, fresh and bright!! How *did* you get so much light on these rainy, dreary winter days?!
Delicious ….. love that your photos transport me to a lush brunch restaurant. Hope you enjoyed ; )
Ooooo you’re speaking my food love language.
this looks so tempting! We eat a variation of this quite often but it is waaaay more slapdash than your elegant meal 🙂