Mid-week tuna pasta

I love cooking quick and simple recipes, using healthy, fresh ingredients or pantry items. Having two boys, I am short of time. I usually keep a can or two of tuna in the pantry, along with canned corn kernels, 5 bean mix and baked beans - an aussie essential. I have pasta of all shapes and sizes, I usually buy the ones with lots of holes and ridges in them like rigatoni, macheroni and spirals as I find that the sauces would stick better or that the veggies would hide between the grooves making it more difficult for tiny fingers to separate them!




This week, I made one of our all time family favourites. Tuna pasta with roma tomatoes and pantry essentials. It takes me 30 minutes tops to prepare and cook. What more, I have leftovers that I put onto a baking dish and cling-wrapped, ready to be popped into the oven with some grated tasty cheese for tomorrow's lunch. These days Lachie has become extremely picky with his vegetables, but I still try to put lots and lots of veggies in most of my cooking, hoping that this would encourage him to eat them.

Ingredients:

500g Rigate (or pasta of choice) - cooked in salted boiling water until al dente. Drain.

1 medium brown onion, chopped finely
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 stalks celery, chopped finely
250g cherry roma tomatoes
425g canned tuna in vegetable oil, oil reserved
1 can corn kernels
1 can 5 bean mix
A handful of oregano leaves


Saute onion and garlic in 2 tablespoon of reserved vegetable oil until soft. Add celery and roma tomatoes. Cook until veggies are soft. Add in corn, beans, tuna and drained pasta. Stir and cook gently until pasta is warmed through and sauces are evenly distributed. Season to taste. Serve topped with fresh oregano leaves from the garden. The sauce for the pasta will come from the roma tomatoes, but if you find that it's a little too dry, add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and a splash of water or stock.

Here's a mid-week meal idea for you! Enjoy!