One-Pot Tuna Ragù with Orecchiette and Mint
To celebrate World Pasta Day, I am paying homage to a classic Sicilian dish. This fabulous, simple, one-pot pasta dish uses mostly store cupboard ingredients and can be on the table in 45 minutes, with less than 10 minutes being hands on time. Classically it is made with fresh tuna, but for for ease and economy, I have swapped this out for tinned.
A delectable fusion of tomatoes, pasta, tuna and black olives, this dish benefits from the complex deliciousness that is roast garlic, a spicy kick from the chilli flakes and a bright, sharp yet sweet tang from the fresh mint. The mint sounds like an unusual addition, but it is a key part of the flavour profile of this dish, so please do not miss it out. It turns this dish from exceedingly tasty to sublime!
How to make One-Pot Tuna Ragù with Orecchiette and Mint
Collect all your ingredients together:
Tuna Ragù –
- sweet cherry tomatoes
- cloves of garlic, skin on and bashed
- chilli flakes
- fine salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- stalks of fresh parsley
- olive oil – ideally use oil from the tuna and make up with olive oil
- tinned tuna, ideally in oil
- pitted black olives
- chopped mint
For the pasta –
- orecchiette pasta
- boiling water
- fine salt
- chopped parsley
How to make this fabulous pasta dish:
- Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
- Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6 (fan 180°C).
- Throw the tomatoes, garlic, chilli flakes, salt, pepper and stalks of parsley into a pan you can use in the oven and on the hob.
- Add the oil. If your tuna is in oil, you can use this and make up with olive oil, if necessary. Shake the pan well and pop in a preheated oven for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, take out of the oven, remove the parsley stalks and garlic cloves. Take the skin off the garlic, mash the soft flesh and return to the tomatoes.
- Add the orecchiette, boiling water and salt, mix well, pressing down on the tomatoes to create a delicious sauce. Return to the oven for a further 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and finish cooking on the hob, being careful because the handle of the pan will be very hot. Boil briskly, stirring constantly to reduce the sauce and finish cooking the pasta. This helps to create a thicker sauce which will cling better to the sides of the pasta.
- When the pasta is nearly cooked to your liking, add the tuna, olives and mint and heat through. It is ready when the orecchiette is cooked to your liking and it is swathed in a wonderful, fresh, tomato and tuna sauce. Please note:
- If the pasta is cooked, and there is too much liquid left, continue to boil briskly to reduce quickly.
- If the water has disappeared and the pasta is not yet cooked, add a little more boiling water and cook until the pasta is ready.
- Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve immediately, either as is, or with some garlic or fresh bread and a chopped green salad.
Ingredients 
1. Toms, garlic, chilli, s&p, parsley 
2 Tuna oil 
Cook 30 mins 
3 Mash garlic 
4 Pasta, water, salt 
Cook 10 mins 
5 Cook on hob 
6 Tuna, olives, mint 
Heat through
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One-Pot Tuna Ragù with Orecchiette, Roast Garlic and Mint
Paying homage to a classic Sicilian dish, this fabulous, simple, one-pot pasta dish uses mostly store cupboard ingredients and can be on the table in 45 minutes, with less than 10 minutes being hands on time.
This delectable fusion of tomatoes, pasta, tuna, black olives and roast garlic has a spicy element from the chilli flakes and is brightened with fresh mint. The mint sounds like an unusual addition, but it is a key part of the flavour profile of this dish, so please do not miss it out. It turns this dish from exceedingly tasty to sublime!
Serves 2
Ingredients
Tuna Ragù:
- 450g sweet cherry tomatoes
- 16g/4 cloves of garlic, skin on and bashed
- ⅛ – ¼ teaspoon chilli flakes, or to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon fine salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 – 4 stalks of fresh parsley
- 4 tablespoons olive oil – ideally use oil from the tuna and make up with olive oil
- 200g tinned tuna, ideally in oil
- 100g pitted black olives
- 1 tablespoon chopped mint
For the pasta:
- 170g orecchiette pasta
- 560ml boiling water
- ⅛ teaspoon fine salt
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Instructions
-
Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
-
Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6 (fan 180°C).
-
Throw the tomatoes, garlic, chilli flakes, salt, pepper and stalks of parsley into a pan you can use in the oven and on the hob.
-
Add the oil. If your tuna is in oil, you can use this and make up with olive oil, if necessary. Shake the pan well and pop in a preheated oven, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
-
After 30 minutes, take out of the oven, remove the parsley stalks and garlic cloves. Take the skin off the garlic, mash the soft flesh and return to the tomatoes.
-
Add the orecchiette, boiling water and salt, mix well, pressing down on the tomatoes to create a delicious sauce. Return to the oven, uncovered, for a further 10 minutes.
-
Remove from the oven and finish cooking on the hob, being careful because the handle of the pan will be very hot. Boil briskly, stirring constantly to reduce the sauce and finish cooking the pasta. This helps to create a thicker sauce which will cling better to the sides of the pasta.
-
When the pasta is nearly cooked to your liking, add the tuna, olives and mint and heat through. It is ready when the orecchiette is cooked to your liking and it is swathed in a wonderful, fresh, tomato and tuna sauce. Please note:
– If the pasta is cooked, and there is too much liquid left, continue to boil briskly to reduce quickly.
– If the water has disappeared and the pasta is not yet cooked, add a little more boiling water and cook until the pasta is ready.
-
Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve immediately, either as is, or with some garlic or fresh bread and a chopped green salad.
Recipe Notes
Equipment:
- kitchen scales, measuring jug and measuring spoons
- chopping board and knife
- wide pan suitable for the hob and oven
Can I cook this on the hob?
Yes you can! I like to pop it in the oven, put the timer on and forget about it. However, if you don’t want to turn the oven on, you can cook this dish solely on the hob. However, you will need to stir it from time to time to ensure the pasta does not stick to the pan.
Increasing the quantities:
This recipe serves 2 people. To increase the quantities you need to –
- weigh pasta
- multiply the weight of pasta by 3.25 to get the amount of water you need to add
- adjust remaining ingredients, to taste
For example if you are cooking 110g pasta –
- 110g pasta x 3.25 = 357ml rounded up to 360ml water
- 200g pasta x 3.25 = 650ml water
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