Pasta dish perfect for hectic holiday season
This holiday season seems busier than ever with working from home, helping with schoolwork and trying to make things festive. Here’s a quick survival dinner. Most of the ingredients you may have on hand. I used fresh fettuccini. I keep some in my freezer for quick meals, but you can use any type of pasta.
Add red bell peppers cut into cubes to a bag of prewashed salad for colorful holiday salad to accompany the dish.
Helpful Hints:
Four garlic cloves can be used instead of minced garlic.
Any hard cheese such as manchego or Romano can be used instead of Parmesan.
A quick way to chop basil is to wash, dry and snip the leaves with a scissors right off the stem.
Holiday Pasta With Tuna Sauce
1/4 pound fresh fettuccini
2 cups reduced-sodium canned diced tomatoes (drained)
4 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
6 ounces canned white-meat tuna packed in water
10 pitted black olives, cut in half
2 teaspoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Heat 3 to 4 quarts of
water in a large saucepan over high heat. When it boils, add fettuccini and cook 3 minutes or according to package instructions.
While water is coming to a boil, mix tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, basil and tuna together in a large bowl. Make sure all of the ingredients are blended to together. Stir in the olives and olive oil; add salt and pepper to taste. When the pasta is cooked, drain and add to the bowl. Toss well. Divide between two dinner plates and sprinkle cheese on top.
Yield: 2 servings.
Per serving: 463 calories (24 percent from fat), 12.1 g fat (3 g saturated, 4.9 g monounsaturated), 39 mg cholesterol, 30.8 g protein, 61.8 g carbohydrates, 8.6 g fiber, 598 mg sodium.
— Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer