Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 1 pound penne
- 1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese (6 ounces)
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 ounces mushrooms, such as cremini, button or shiitake, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 cup medium green olives (about 18), pitted and halved
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- One 10-ounce or two 5-ounce cans tuna in olive oil, such as Tonnino, drained
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but still firm to the bite, 8 to 10 minutes. Reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta. Place the pasta and 1/2 cup cheese in a large bowl and toss until coated.
In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms begin to brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the olives, tomato paste, capers, red pepper flakes, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and the tuna. Using a wooden spoon, break up the tuna into 1-inch pieces. Add the chicken broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Remove the garlic and discard.
Pour the tuna mixture over the pasta. Add the remaining 1/2 cup cheese and the basil, and toss until coated, using the reserved cooking liquid to loosen the sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
Photo: Pirate Pasta Recipe
















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By kellee.schmidt
on April 15, 2013
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Delicious! My two year old son loved it and so did my husband and I. I would make this for guests.
By Mom2Mom
on January 02, 2013
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So much fun for the kids! I used shell pasta I had on hand (went great with the name, Pirate pasta, too! and added peas. The fun thing is the peas settled inside the shells. The kids are still at the table "looking for treasures" in their Pirate pasta. Thanks for sharing this creative dish to make dinner time fun tonight! P.S. I served it with "Pirate's Gold" aka. "corn"
By Don's Girl
New England
on October 24, 2012
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I first made this dish upon our return from Tuscany. If I were on death row, I would request this dish as my last meal. yeah. It's that good. Use the Italian tuna and don't be afraid of the oil. Just drain it well. But be sure to use the Italian tuna. I can't emphasis it enough. It makes the dish. I did use black olives rather than the green but that is only because that's what I had on hand. Otherwise, I followed it to the letter and OMG I'm glad I did. Yum!
Read all 16 reviews