Orecchiette with Tuna, White Beans and Tomatoes

I like to call this 'pantry pasta.' In recent years, I have gotten pretty good at throwing dinner together from what I keep in my pantry. There really are endless things you can do with dried pasta, canned beans and canned Italian tuna in oil. Once you get the basics down, you can experiment with these ingredients and easily substitute in other meats like leftover cubed chicken, fish or even ground beef or turkey. I always like to add something fresh to my pantry meals, even if that ingredient is Italian parsley. Other good add-ins are citrus zest or juice, fresh vegetables, and cheeses that keep a long time such as Parmesan, crumbled goat or crumbled feta. Last Sunday night I made this pasta. Not only did the kids love it, but it made a really nice leftover lunch for work the next day. There were three good sized leftover portions and they reheated well in the microwave.

Orecchiette with Tuna, White Beans and Tomatoes

Timing -

Ingredients -
1 lb orechiette pasta
half of a small onion, finely diced
olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 T fresh thyme leaves
2 cans Italian tuna packed in oil (don't use water packed)
1 can cannelini beans, drained
small container of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped

How to Make
Cook pasta while you make the sauce. When you drain it, save about a 3/4 cup of the pasta water.


Saute the onion in a little olive oil for a few minutes until it softens. Add garlic and thyme and cook another 30 seconds until fragrant. Add salt and pepper generously. Stir in undrained tuna and toss to combine and warm, about 1 minute. Add beans and tomatoes and toss until warmed through.

Stir in the pasta and parsley and then add pasta water, as needed, to loosen sauce.

Serves 6