| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 35 min |
| Prep: | 10 min |
| Cook: | 25 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 1 pound penne
- 1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese (6 ounces)
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 ounces mushrooms, such as cremini, button or shiitake, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 cup medium green olives (about 18), pitted and halved
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- One 10-ounce or two 5-ounce cans tuna in olive oil, such as Tonnino, drained
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but still firm to the bite, 8 to 10 minutes. Reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta. Place the pasta and 1/2 cup cheese in a large bowl and toss until coated.
- In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms begin to brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the olives, tomato paste, capers, red pepper flakes, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and the tuna. Using a wooden spoon, break up the tuna into 1-inch pieces. Add the chicken broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Remove the garlic and discard.
- Pour the tuna mixture over the pasta. Add the remaining 1/2 cup cheese and the basil, and toss until coated, using the reserved cooking liquid to loosen the sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 608 |
| Total Fat | 24 g |
| Saturated Fat | 7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 64 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 5 g |
| Protein | 35 g |
| Cholesterol | 38 mg |
| Sodium | 927 mg |
Reviews
We all know 1 cup grated cheese is 8 ounces ( by volume) so why does Giada add (6 ounces) in parentheses? Does she mean 6 ounces by weight? That’s a whole lot more cheese than 8 ounces by volume.
Delicious pasta, as long as you know how to deal with the cheese amount.
Delicious pasta, as long as you know how to deal with the cheese amount.
I am not even sure what prompted me to make this other than initial curiosity of how it would taste! Well, I made it as written, as I do with all recipes the first time, and it is really delicious. It is very different, but it is also super delicious and I liked the texture of the mushrooms and olives in the dish. It is on the saltier side, but that can be toned down by reducing or omitting it. The tuna breaks apart, and you don”t get large bites of it. Once in a while, it is nice to have something that’s very different to haul out. This recipe is it. My husband LOVED it, and when I showed him the list of ingredients he looked a little surprised, and said he loved it anyhow!
My husband and I both thought this was super tasty. Yes, it is salty, but it’s not overpowered by salt. You have to expect that when making a dish with cheese and olives and capers that it will heir on the salty side. I thought this was absolutely delicious and very easy as well! Thanks, Giada!
I love pasta but wasn’t so keen on this one. It was ok but would not make it again. Could only find Pecorino Romano at one store near me at a cost of $19/pound. So used regular Romano. It was easy to make, just wish we would have liked it more.
Very very good this one is a keeper
oh my God, the pasta is awsom.
A little salty, probably due to the cheese. I only used 1/2 the required of cheese amount which was fine. Also, instead of creating the tomato base within the dish, I only used the mushrooms, olives, garlic, capers, and tuna, then added my homemade marinara towards the end. It was so delicious!!!
Delicious! My two year old son loved it and so did my husband and I. I would make this for guests.
So much fun for the kids! I used shell pasta I had on hand (went great with the name, Pirate pasta, too! and added peas. The fun thing is the peas settled inside the shells. The kids are still at the table “looking for treasures” in their Pirate pasta. Thanks for sharing this creative dish to make dinner time fun tonight! P.S. I served it with “Pirate’s Gold” aka. “corn”
I first made this dish upon our return from Tuscany. If I were on death row, I would request this dish as my last meal. yeah. It’s that good. Use the Italian tuna and don’t be afraid of the oil. Just drain it well. But be sure to use the Italian tuna. I can’t emphasis it enough. It makes the dish. I did use black olives rather than the green but that is only because that’s what I had on hand. Otherwise, I followed it to the letter and OMG I’m glad I did. Yum!