Recipe #9 Tuna Pomodoro

I've chosen another Eating Well recipe.   I made some substitutions - I used brown rice rigatoni pasta instead of wheat spaghetti; I used frozen garlic and basil cubes instead of fresh and instead of just crushed red peppers, I used a mix that I have of italian seasoning and crushed red pepper.  I did not use anchovies  (ewww).  I also added a few kalamatta olives and grated parmesan cheese.  I would not have minded more tuna either.  All in all it was a quick meal and relatively healthy (I don't know that the WW points I figured out are accurate - I hope not - because the brown rice rigatoni may have changed the points).  I was going to make a side dish of asparagus, but frankly was too lazy.  The wine I chose was ok, I'm normally a big fan of Robert Hall, but the Rose, not so much.  Happy Cooking!

 I served with a Robert Hall Rose (eh)

Tuna Pomodoro

From EatingWell: April/May 2005, The EatingWell Healthy in a Hurry Cookbook (2006)

Inspired by the Italian dish spaghetti al tonno e pomodoro, this quick and healthy pasta became a staff favorite at EatingWell. If you keep canned tuna and whole-wheat pasta on hand, you'll do what we did: return to this quick meal again and again.

---

READER'S COMMENT:

"This is a great dish, I have also made it with cooked frozen shrimp, when I don't have canned tuna on hand. :D "

Real photo from web site:

4 servings, about 1 cup each

Active Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 8 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 anchovies, minced (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste
• 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 6-ounce can chunk light tuna, drained and flaked (see Note)
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil

Preparation

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook spaghetti, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 9 to 11 minutes or according to package directions. Drain.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add anchovies (if using) and crushed red pepper and cook for 30 seconds more.

Add tomatoes, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes. Stir in tuna and cook until it is incorporated into the sauce and heated through, 2 minutes more. Divide the spaghetti evenly among 4 plates, top with sauce and garnish with basil. Serve hot.

Tips & Notes

• Note: Chunk light tuna, which comes from the smaller skipjack or yellowfin, has less mercury than canned white albacore tuna. The FDA/EPA advises that women who are or might become pregnant, nursing mothers and young children consume no more than 6 ounces of albacore a week; up to 12 ounces of canned light tuna is considered safe.

Nutrition

Per serving: 349 calories; 8 g fat ( 1 g sat , 6 g mono ); 27 mg cholesterol; 50 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 22 g protein; 9 g fiber; 33 mg sodium; 139 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Selenium (60% daily value), Magnesium (21% dv).
Carbohydrate Servings: 3
Exchanges: 3 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 1/2 very lean meat, 1 fat

WW:  9 points!!!!!!!!!