Whether you’re looking for acting advice or insight into Italian cuisine, you can trust Stanley Tucci. The Golden Globe award-winning actor is currently the host of Tucci in Italy, a follow-up to Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, where he continues his quest to uncover the nation’s best culinary secrets. And on his social media, Tucci is never short on tips, tricks, and clips to share from his own kitchen.
The best part about Tucci’s approach to home cooking is how he seems to love simple dishes that just about anyone can make, from tuna melts to a humble plate of scrambled eggs and tomatoes enjoyed outdoors. And the dish featured in one of his latest videos, an easy-breezy bowl full of hearty beans, tomato sauce, tuna, and just a few other flavor-packed ingredients, is no different.
This meal is quick and easy enough to whip up that you can enjoy it for lunch — just like Tucci — and you probably have all or most of the ingredients you need already on hand.
How to make Tucci’s easy Italian lunch
Tucci starts his video by explaining that he’s taking a quick break from packing his bags before leaving to film the highly anticipated sequel to The Devil Wears Prada to make himself a “little lunch.”
The actor’s meal of choice “consists of a tomato sauce with tuna,” paired with cannellini beans, onions, and “a little bit of garlic.” Tucci notes that he also added in some pieces of twice-baked bread, which he describes as “crusty, hard bread that softens up once it’s in there. And that’s it.”
The bowl is topped with a bit of fresh basil, black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil for a fragrant finishing touch. As Tucci points out, “It’s really hearty.”
The Tucci in Italy host has previously shared how he makes his tomato sauce with canned tuna on Instagram — which he also serves over pasta — explaining that the addition of the canned fish makes the sauce surprisingly sweet. Although he makes his tomato sauce from scratch, you could easily speed up this process by using a good jar of store-bought tomato sauce.
For best results, simmer the tuna in the sauce for a few minutes to infuse the fish’s flavor, then add canned beans and torn pieces of bread, letting the latter ingredients warm throughout before serving. (This is a great way to use up stale bread instead of throwing it out.)
You can make this dish your own
While Tucci made this dish to his liking, you can do the same. Feel free to omit the tuna and add more beans instead, or swap in a different protein altogether, like crumbled and seared Italian sausage. If you have vegetables that are about to go bad, sauté and stir them in.
Finishing the bowl with a dollop of pesto or some burrata if you have it would be an excellent idea too. That way, it’s a bespoke creation even Miranda Priestly would approve of.
Dining and Cooking