As a person living solo, one of my most important chores is cooking. I only started learning when my family migrated to the US, but I love doing it because I get to decide what I eat and the task itself is surprisingly therapeutic. Because I’m always busy with deadlines, events, and meetings, I go for recipes that are simple yet still nutritious. One of my newest recipes? Tuna spaghetti!
I’ve cooked pasta twice already and it’s an easy dish to prepare. All you need are pasta noodles, your choice of sauce, some oil, and toppings.
I know I promised that this would be a recipe article but I was trained to cook like my mother: find whatever you have at home and improvise the hell out of it. I can give you the list of ingredients but I estimated the amount. For my version of tuna spaghetti, I gathered noodles, spaghetti sauce (I like the sour notes of Del Monte’s Italian spaghetti sauce), olive oil, tuna, garlic, and onion!
First, you have to cook the noodles until they become soft. Most kinds of pasta cook in eight to 12 minutes but go with your gut feel. Check the noodles every now and then. When the water starts to boil, add a few pinches of salt to enhance the flavor. In terms of texture, I like it al dente so every now and then I scoop a noodle and take a bite. If it’s firm yet yielding, it’s ready to go. Quickly drain so it doesn’t get overcooked.
For the sauce, I start by frying some garlic and onions in a large pan. I’m a fan of these two so I tend to cook a lot of them in my dishes. Once they turn golden brown, add the tuna and cook it, too. Get the one in the big tin can so there’s plenty to go around. When the tuna is cooked, drape it generously with spaghetti sauce. Once that’s done, pour the pasta on top of it and mix.
When it comes to frying, I personally recommend using olive oil as it is healthier compared to other types of oil with vitamin E, antioxidants, and zero cholesterol. Extra virgin olive oil is the highest quality olive oil with the best flavor as there are fewer steps in the production process.
I got to try Doña Elena’s extra virgin olive oil and was pleased with its fragrant aroma and how it elevated my dish with an extra oomph. The brand also has pure olive oil for something less expensive but with a strong flavor and pomace olive oil for something more straightforward.
I paired it with Doña Elena’s shredded tuna in sunflower oil, which is rich in omega-3, protein, selenium and vitamin D. I especially liked how the tuna has heft compared to other similar brands. I ate the chunks version on its own and the sunflower oil gave it a unique and unforgettably nutty flavor.
My batch of tuna spaghetti ended up well and I was able to enjoy a few servings of it in the next few days. I topped it with parsley but feel free to add whatever you wish or have in the kitchen. It’s so easy and hassle-free, you can cook it in less than 30 minutes!
This story is in partnership with Doña Elena. For more information, visit the website or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.