Midnight Pasta

	Dominic Armato

There's something very freeing about throwing together an impromptu late-night meal.

We're not a household that cooks every night. We'll do simple preparation regularly, but I only really cook once or twice a week. As such, while our dry pantry is fairly well-stocked, we rarely have much if anything in the way of meats or produce on hand. It's a challenge. A limited palette of ingredients forces a cook to be creative, and it ends up being a great exercise. Sometimes, some rather unorthodox and enjoyable combinations result. Tonight's late-night meal wasn't the least bit unorthodox, but it was tasty.

Midnight Tuna Pasta

...so named because it's easy to throw together with items that can usually be found lying around my kitchen. As always, be sure to refer to the Ten Commandments of Dried Pasta.

3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 1/2 C. tomato sauce
1 can tuna packed in olive oil, drained
Salt, to taste
1 Lb. penne (or Spaghetti, or Fusilli, or whatever you have lying around... this is midnight pasta)

Heat the olive oil in a very large skillet or small pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic and red pepper, and saute until the onions turn translucent. Add the tomato sauce, tuna and salt, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook gently for 10-15 minutes while your pasta cooks. When the pasta is ready, drain and add it to the sauce with a splash of the pasta water, then continue cooking for another minute or so until the sauce comes together.

Eat up. Pasta waits for no one. And you should be in bed.

Comments

[Tabacco]

Hilariously late though this comment may be, the pasta was delicious.