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Penne with Tuna Plum Tomatoes and Black Olives Recipe

July 29, 2011 by Jeanette 26 Comments

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Pasta with Tuna Black Olives and TomatoesI don’t know about you, but it feels as if summer is flying by. When my kids were young and I had three toddlers under the age of 3, I thought I was busy, but looking back at the days when my little ones were happy just splashing in the little blow-up pool in the backyard, or jumping in the sprinkler on a hot day, I realize how much I miss those precious years where we just hung out in our backyard.

Now that I have three teenagers in the house, with two that are not driving yet, but have lots of places to go, I have been playing chauffeur, day and night. In fact, I am driving more during the summer than I did during the school year! Although things get started a bit later in the day during the summer, our days end later too. Evening baseball games that start right at dinnertime are especially challenging. With teenagers who don’t wake up until late morning, meals are totally unscheduled. In fact, there have been some days when they wake up so late that it’s nearly lunch time, which shifts the entire meal schedule for the day.

With evening baseball games that often start at 5-6PM, dinner usually has to wait until 8PM, after the baseball game is over. Tonight was no exception. The only problem was that it was near 95 degrees today and the last thing I felt like doing was make dinner at 8 o’clock at night. I was advocating for picking up dinner on the way home, but everyone was anxious to get home after a long, hot, muggy two-hour game.Fortunately, I had just finished looking through Judith Jones’ The Pleasures of Cooking for One and had some ideas for dinner. Judith Jones is one of 50 Women Game-Changers in food recently recognized by Gourmet Live, and this week, she is being honored by a small group of food bloggers who have been celebrating these influential women in food by cooking a recipe from each of them over a 50 week period.


Judith Jones
 
is the legendary editor of some of the world’s greatest cooks, including Julia Child, James Beard, Lidia Bastianich, Marion Cunningham, Marcella Hazan, Madhur Jaffrey, Jacques Pepin, and Nina Simonds.
A few interesting tidbits about Judith Jones include the fact that she was the champion behind Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking, a cookbook no other publisher would touch. Here’s another interesting tidbit – if it were not for Judith Jones, The Diary of Anne Frank would never have been published – she rescued it from the reject pile. Judith Jones has written a number of cookbooks herself, three of which she wrote with her husband, and two on her own since his passing, The Pleasures of Cooking for One, and a memoir, The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food.

In the introduction of 
The Pleasure of Cooking for One, Judith Jones writes, “After my husband, Evan, died in 1996, I was not sure that I would ever enjoy preparing a meal for myself and eating it alone. But as I described in The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food, I was wrong, and I soon realized that the pleasure that we shared together was something to honor. I found myself at the end of the day looking forward to cooking, making recipes that work for one, and then sitting down and savoring a good meal.”

At first, when I read this introduction, I thought, how sad; but, after a short pause, I realized what a gift Judith Jones has given her readers in this practical cookbook, filled with simple recipes that can be enjoyed over the course of the week. Cooking for one doesn’t have to be bland and boring – in fact, it can be beautifully presented and ready to eat without much fuss.
On the ride home, I flipped through The Pleasure of Cooking for One and decided on the recipe I was going to throw together as soon as I walked into the kitchen – Judith Jones’ Penne with Tuna, Plum Tomatoes, and Black Olives. Most of the ingredients in this recipe are pantry items, so it is a quick and easy dinner to pull together in a short amount of time.

To accommodate my son with wheat allergies, I substituted brown rice pasta for regular pasta (everyone had brown rice pasta and no one noticed); I also added some capers as I like their briny flavor. Since this recipe was written for one serving, I simply quadrupled it for tonight’s dinner (everyone enjoyed a gluten-free meal). Served with a simple green salad, dinner was on the table in less than 30 minutes.
 
This simple, but flavorful pasta dish hit the spot. It reminded me a bit of pasta puttanesca, just without the anchovies.

Penne with Tuna, Plum Tomatoes, and Black Olives

Adapted from The Pleasures of Cooking for One. If fresh tomatoes are not available, use canned chopped tomatoes instead. Add some capers if you like. I used chicken broth in place of the pasta cooking liquid for more flavor.

Pasta with Tuna Black Olives and Tomatoes
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Penne with Tuna Plum Tomatoes and Black Olives Recipe

Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 1
Calories 566 kcal
Author Jeanette

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces penne I used gluten-free brown rice pasta
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small onion or shallot sliced thin
  • 1 garlic clove peeled and sliced
  • 2-3 ripe plum tomatoes cut into rough chunks
  • A splash of white wine
  • 2 ounces canned tuna in olive oil
  • 8 Italian or Greek black olives pitted and quartered
  • 1 teaspoon capers rinsed and drained, optional
  • 1/4 cup chicken broth optional
  • salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • A generous handful of chopped fresh Italian parsley

Instructions

  1. Cook pasta until al dente, reserving 1/4 cup of pasta cooking liquid for the sauce.
  2. Heat oil in a skillet and saute the onion until limp, about 3-4 minutes.
  3. Add garlic slices and tomatoes and saute another minute.
  4. Add wine and cook down.
  5. Break up tuna and add chunky flakes to the pan.
  6. Stir in olives and capers.
  7. Add at least 1/4 cup pasta cooking liquid (or chicken broth) to thin the sauce.
  8. Toss cooked pasta with sauce.
  9. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  10. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Nutrition Facts
Penne with Tuna Plum Tomatoes and Black Olives Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 566 Calories from Fat 216
% Daily Value*
Fat 24g37%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Cholesterol 10mg3%
Sodium 983mg43%
Potassium 745mg21%
Carbohydrates 60g20%
Fiber 6g25%
Sugar 9g10%
Protein 27g54%
Vitamin A 1160IU23%
Vitamin C 30.2mg37%
Calcium 66mg7%
Iron 2.1mg12%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

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Filed Under: dairy-free, Dinner, gluten-free, main courses, Pasta and Noodles Tagged With: pasta, tuna

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Comments

  1. bellini says

    July 29, 2011 at 12:36 pm

    It just sounds so delicious Jeanette and easily multiplied for a growing family.

    Reply
  2. Sue/the view from great island says

    July 29, 2011 at 12:50 pm

    I think I'm going to make this for dinner tonight, the tomatoes are so great right now. Count yourself lucky with your teenagers' schedules. My daughter has basically switched day for night, she sleeps much of the day and I can hear her rummaging about the kitchen in the middle of the night!

    Reply
  3. Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) says

    July 29, 2011 at 1:10 pm

    This is my kind of dinner for any weather. Simple to prepare, with bold flavor. Hats off to a true visionary, Judith Jones, for bringing many of my favorite cookbook authors to market.

    Reply
  4. Aggie says

    July 29, 2011 at 1:53 pm

    This honestly looks so delicious. I love everything in it. I don't usually think to add tuna in pasta, but what a great way to switch up the protein!

    Reply
  5. Kalyn says

    July 29, 2011 at 2:32 pm

    I'm definitely going to make this when I get garden tomatoes. But I will have to use a lot more capers!

    Reply
  6. Mary says

    July 29, 2011 at 3:31 pm

    What a gorgeous photo. The dish sounds wonderful and is so easy to make that it belongs on everyone's table. I'm so glad you are making this 50 week journey with us.I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Mary

    Reply
  7. Katie says

    July 29, 2011 at 3:56 pm

    I'm so impressed you find time to do all this cooking with so many kids to drive around. The pasta dish looks delicious, and it's great you could adapt it to be gluten free!

    Reply
  8. Alison @ Ingredients, Inc. says

    July 29, 2011 at 4:31 pm

    this look good and so healthy

    Reply
  9. Junia says

    July 29, 2011 at 4:35 pm

    wow i haven't had pasta in ages, but this looks so inviting and healthy!!! i tried brown rice pasta in the airplane on my way back from spain last year and i liked it surprisingly! 🙂

    Reply
  10. Jeanette says

    July 29, 2011 at 4:52 pm

    This was such an easy recipe to prepare and it reheats nicely. We had the leftovers for lunch the next day.

    Reply
  11. Pretend Chef says

    July 29, 2011 at 5:22 pm

    This pasta looks so delicious. I love the addition of the capers. I will need to bookmark this recipe and give it a try. Yummy!

    Reply
  12. marla says

    July 29, 2011 at 6:37 pm

    Thanks goodness for quick and fabulous dinners. Not sure which age is the trickiest with our kids – they all have their positives & craziness too! Lovely pasta. xo

    Reply
  13. Maris (in Good Taste) says

    July 29, 2011 at 7:11 pm

    Thanks so much for the suggestion! Those olives look amazing in this pasta dish! In fact the whole dish looks very delicious!

    Reply
  14. Maria says

    July 29, 2011 at 9:54 pm

    Love all of the flavors!

    Reply
  15. Susan Lindquist says

    July 30, 2011 at 12:12 am

    What a pretty dish of pasta! Nice tribute post to Judith Jones!

    Reply
  16. SMITH BITES says

    July 30, 2011 at 1:22 am

    i've made a similar dish and LOVE it – and really, how can you go wrong w/Judith Jones?!!

    Reply
  17. Jeanette says

    July 30, 2011 at 2:34 am

    I agree, you can't go wrong with Judith Jones! Funny, just before I came across this recipe in Judith Jones' cookbook, one of my friends was just describing a similar pasta dish she makes for herself. I've never used tuna in a pasta dish, but I knew I had to try it.

    Reply
  18. Joanne says

    July 30, 2011 at 9:30 am

    I definitely remember driving my mother crazy during the summer, with her having to drive us everywhere. I'm sure she doesn't miss those days very much! This pasta sounds delicious and like such a quick and easy way to get dinner on the table without sacrificing flavor!

    Reply
  19. Shirley @ gfe says

    July 30, 2011 at 1:16 pm

    I've read so much wonderful about that book, Jeanette, that I definitely need to buy it. Pasta meals can be so simple to create with a few standout ingredients. I also try to keep pasta in my pantry for those really hectic days so I can "throw a few things together" and create a pleasing dinner. Tuna is one of my go-to proteins for pasta dishes, too. Beautiful dish, dear!

    Shirley

    Reply
  20. Mary ♥ Mur says

    July 30, 2011 at 1:44 pm

    ♥

    I love your post and blog so much!!!.))

    I need your help. I spend another survey but this time with another question.
    "Where do you prefer to shop? What is your favorite shopping center?"

    ♥

    Reply
  21. girlichef says

    July 31, 2011 at 1:28 pm

    I totally agree…this is an amazing and absolutely USEFUL cookbook! Beautiful recipe you've chosen, as well. 😀

    Reply
  22. Roxana GreenGirl says

    July 31, 2011 at 10:32 pm

    i love everything about this dinner meal. So easy to put together without heating the kitchen unnecessary.
    Thanks for sharing

    Reply
  23. Ilke says

    August 1, 2011 at 1:16 am

    I bet this hit the spot after all the games on a hot humid day!
    Do you have to be invited to this blogger event or can I join myself? Sounds like a great thing to do to celebrate all these women!

    Reply
  24. Jeanette says

    August 1, 2011 at 1:23 am

    I plan on making this during the school year when quick and easy dinners are a must – it is such a satisfying meal.

    If you're interested in joining this weekly event, please contact Mary at One Perfect Bite (http://oneperfectbite.blogspot.com/)

    Reply
  25. Nami | Just One Cookbook says

    August 1, 2011 at 7:47 am

    Hi Jeanette! Thank you for visiting my blog and I'm so happy I found your site! Your site has a full source of how to eat healthy and I love all the delicious pictures! I eat pretty much everything, but I love veggies more than meat. So happy to find your site!

    Reply
  26. Jennifer (Savor) says

    August 5, 2011 at 4:43 pm

    We love to put olives in our tuna salad sandwiches – salty & yummy

    Reply

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