Name: Spaghetti with Tuna and Capers
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 pound spaghetti; 1/4 teaspoon table salt , plus salt for cooking pasta; 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil , plus extra for drizzling; 8 garlic cloves , sliced thin; 2 tablespoons capers , rinsed; 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes , plus extra for serving; 1 (5- to 7-ounce) can/jar olive oil-packed tuna , flaked with packing oil; 1 ounce Parmesan cheese , grated (1⁄2 cup), plus extra for serving; 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Why This Recipe Works

We wanted a streamlined pantry pasta that layered in the flavors of meaty oil-packed tuna, briny capers, and savory Parmesan cheese, and we were determined to cook it all in one pot. We started by slightly undercooking the pasta in 3 quarts of water to ensure that plenty of starch was in the cooking water. After reserving some cooking water and draining the pasta, we added a glug of olive oil and plenty of sliced garlic to the now-empty pot to cook over medium-low heat until the garlic was fragrant. We quickly added in some plump little capers, spicy red pepper flakes, and the cooked pasta along with 2 cups of the starchy cooking water. After bringing the liquid to a boil, we tossed the pasta constantly, not stopping until the water was nearly all absorbed and the pasta was al dente. This motion helped create something like an emulsion around the still-cooking pasta, a velvety sauce that was ready for a can or jar of flaked tuna, a shower of Parmesan, and some chopped parsley.

Before You Begin

Make sure that you have all the ingredients prepped and ready to go when you start cooking. For the best results, you’ll need to flow seamlessly through the recipe steps. Oil-packed tuna comes in a variety of can and jar sizes, hence the weight range in the ingredient list. Use a product you like that fits your budget.

Instructions

Bring 3 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until strands are flexible but still very firm in center, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat, reserve 3 cups cooking water, then drain pasta.

In now-empty pot, heat oil and garlic over medium-low heat until fragrant and just shy of browning, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in capers and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds.

Add pasta, 2 cups reserved cooking water, and salt and bring to boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring often with tongs and folding pasta over itself, until water is mostly absorbed but still pools slightly at bottom of pot, about 5 minutes.

Off heat, stir in tuna, Parmesan, parsley, and ½ cup reserved cooking water with tongs until all ingredients are well combined, about 1 minute. Adjust consistency with additional reserved cooking water as needed. Serve, sprinkled with extra Parmesan and pepper flakes and drizzled with extra oil.