Roasted Cherry Tomato and Tuna Pasta – this flavorful pasta dinner can be on the table in under 30 minutes!!
This recipes is so simple and it’s the super easy roasted tomatoes that make all the flavor difference!
A pasta dish that is simple yet so tempting. Just setting aside some time at the beginning of making the recipe to roast the tomatoes will takes this pasta dish to a different level! Roasting cherry tomatoes brings out their natural sweetness. A fantastic pasta recipe that is ready in under 30 minutes! This is one of those dishes you could probably make with ingredients you have on hand. I found cherry tomatoes on sale for $1 (yes, just a dollar!) and was debating on what to make with them.
Cherry tomatoes are easy to find all year round. I did use a combo of cherry and a two Roma tomatoes. All you do is pop them in the oven right before getting to making the pasta and the rest of the ingredients. Soon you have a pan full of sweet and caramelized roasted tomatoes filled with flavor from the fresh thyme and garlic. If you don’t have fresh spinach you could sub frozen spinach (just be sure to cook it and fully drain it before adding to the sauce). You could also sub in fresh arugula.
While the tomatoes are roasting, you cook up the onion and the tuna together. Add in a splash of white wine (you could also use white balsamic vinegar if you don’t have white wine on hand). You could enjoy a glass of the wine with your pasta! When the pasta is ready you combine it with the tuna, the fabulous roasted tomatoes and the fresh spinach. If you don’t have any cherry tomatoes on hand, feel free to use a small can of crushed tomatoes or even canned cherry tomatoes. Then stir it all together until the spinach is slightly wilted (no mushy spinach for this dish, that’s why I prefer fresh and not frozen). Then you serve it while it’s warm.
A favorite family pasta recipe in our house. I hope you enjoy it! Also wonderful for a date night with your special someone!!
Some variations:
- Replace tuna with sardines, salmon, shredded chicken or sautéed mushrooms.
- Replace pasta with quinoa, rice, couscous, barley, cauliflower rice, or zucchini noodles.
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Roasted Cherry Tomato and Tuna Pasta
Ingredients
- 10 oz of cherry tomatoes
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 cloves garlic sliced thin
- 1 pound penne pasta or rigatoni
- 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 can tuna in olive oil
- 1/2 cup white wine or white balsamic vinegar
- 6 ounces fresh spinach
- sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
TOMATOES
- Heat oven to 400°F. Spread the tomatoes out on a foil- or parchment-lined baking sheet, toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, garlic and fresh thyme. Sprinkle with a few pinches of salt and pepper. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until tender and ready to use. Remove from the oven, and transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack until ready to use.
PASTA
- Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until just before al dente.
- When you drain pasta, reserve about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
- While pasta is cooking, heat remaining olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 1 minute. Add the tuna and white wine. Let the wine cook down a minute or two and then add the cooked pasta. Stir to combine and cook for a minute or two. Add in a little bit of the reserved pasta water.
- Stir in spinach and the roasted tomatoes (you could add just the tomatoes and not the garlic and the thyme from the pan. If pasta seems too dry, add a little bit more of the reserved pasta water. If you don’t mind the garlic flavor, add the garlic from roasting pan). Toss together for 1-2 minutes, until the spinach is slightly wilted.
- Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle on a little olive oil Serve immediately, garnished with your desired toppings.
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