Pantry staples like anchovies, Calabrian chile paste, and canned cherry tomatoes transform into a luscious sauce. Balanced with Parmigiano-Reggiano, lemon zest, and parsley, the dish hits all the notes of salt, fat, acid, and heat that define Samin Nosrat’s cooking philosophy.This recipe takes 30 minutes to come together.
When cookbook author Samin Nosrat was living in Italy in 2002, she had dinner at a pizzeria near Piazza Santa Croce where she ate a pizza topped with spicy tomato sauce, flakes of oil-packed tuna, and a lightly dressed pile of arugula. That pizza — made with ingredients she’d never imagined combining — gave her a first glimpse of all the ways her time in Italy would enrich her as a cook. For the next two years, every time she went out for pizza, she scanned the menu for spicy tuna but never encountered it in Italy again. So when a craving for that pizza struck, she’d make herself a spicy tuna pasta instead — one that uses high-quality pantry ingredients like canned Italian cherry tomatoes and real Parmigiano-Reggiano.
This recipe, featured in her new cookbook, Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love, relies on pantry staples. Many of the ingredients — like dried pasta, canned tuna, and (more recently) Calabrian chiles — are pantry staples. Her use of canned cherry tomatoes, which burst until jammy, give the sauce a concentrated ripe sweetness that tastes like it has been slow-simmering for hours. And, of course, the final touch of lemon zest and juice stirred into the pasta right before serving lifts and brightens the dish.
For Samin, approaching everyday cooking as a ritual helps to further sanctify and infuse it with meaning. She’s no longer aware of the mundanity of cooking a simple dish like this. Instead, she’s filled with a sense of gratitude for the life she’s worked so hard to fill with friendship and beauty.
Why oil-packed tuna works for this recipe
Oil-packed tuna is generally richer, more flavorful, and more tender than water-packed tuna. Because this pasta is so simple, the tuna-infused oil is free flavor. It behaves like a built-in finishing oil, helping the tomato, anchovy, and chile shine in the sauce. That oil blooms the garlic and chile and emulsifies with pasta water so the sauce clings to the noodles. Oil-packed tuna comes in Italian and Spanish varieties, and you can use either for this dish.
What can you substitute for Calabrian chile paste?
Calabrian chile paste brings a medium, fruity heat with mild smokiness. You can substitute it by hand-chopping jarred Calabrian chiles. If jarred Calabrian chiles are not available to you, you can replicate a similar heat with crushed red pepper flakes bloomed in oil. Blooming the dried chile flakes in oil will intensify their aroma and flavor and infuse the oil. If you’re heat sensitive, start small and continue to taste as the sauce simmers, then adjust as you go.
Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen
If canned cherry tomatoes aren’t available, substitute with 1 (14-ounce) can of whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes (about 1 1/2 cups).This pasta dish is endlessly adaptable with different pasta shapes. Handle the tuna gently when stirring and tossing so the fillets stay intact.
Suggested pairing
A lighter-bodied Oregon Pinot Noir, such as the 2023 Soter Vineyards Planet Oregon, is an ideal match for this pasta. The wine’s bright red cherry and cranberry notes echo the sweetness of the jammy canned tomatoes, while its lively acidity cuts through the richness of the olive oil–packed tuna. There are also subtle earthy undertones that complement the saltiness of the anchovies and heat from the Calabrian chiles without competing with their intensity, creating a pairing that feels balanced, refreshing, and deeply satisfying.
Dining and Cooking