Pizza Inspired Pasta
As I mentioned in EatTeen by Lottie: Italian Plum Cakes I used to spend a lot of summers in Alghero, Sardinia. Being in Italy, of course most of my dinners were pizza and pasta! Whilst my fussy brother would normally opt for plain margarita pizza or penne with plain pomodoro sauce, I used to like being more exciting. One of my favourite pizza combinations was to have tuna, green olives and mushrooms and there was only one restaurant that used to let you choose exactly what toppings you wanted on the pizza so this quickly became my top choice! Although I haven't been to Sardinia for a fairly long time, the flavours of the amazing dishes have always stuck by me and influences my dishes greatly. I prefer pasta to pizza majority of the time but didn't want to neglect my wondrous pizza combination so wanted to make my own pasta sauce inspired by my pizza topping trio. This pasta sauce recipe is perfect: simple, filling, quick, healthy and of course tasty. It is packed with protein and veggies making it the perfect dinner for all ages. It is also perfect cold to take to work and school not to mention works with all pasta types and shapes (well not spaghetti but that's just because I don't like the taste of it!) I hope you and your family love this recipe as much as my family and I do
Here is my recipe for Pizza Inspired Pasta:
Ingredients: (Serves 3)
- 150g Uncooked Pasta (Macaroni is most popular in my house!)
- 1tsp Olive Oil
- 1tsp Crushed Garlic (I buy this pre-crushed but it is relatively simple to do)
- 900g Tomato Passata (about 2 cartons)
- 1tbs Dried Oregano
- 1tbs Dried Basil
- 250g Mushrooms, finely sliced
- 90g Green Olives,
- 2-3 cans Tuna in Spring Water (depending on how much you like tuna!)
- Grated Cheese, to serve (optional but recommended)
Method:
- Boil your pasta, set aside
- Place a large saucepan on medium heat and fry the crushed garlic in the oil
- Add your olives and mushrooms and fry over until your mushrooms are the desired texture
- Turn onto a low heat, the add your tuna and continue to mix the sauce pan contents
- Mix your passata with the spices then pour over the mushroom mixture
- Turn onto a medium heat, letting the passata bubble to remove any excess water, leave for 2-3 minutes
- Turn bake onto the low heat, pour in your pasta and mix
- Leave for 5 minutes
- Serve piping hot and with lots of cheese
- Enjoy!!
