Spicy tuna pasta

Stock up your pantry with wholesome ingredients and you can make healthy recipes like this tasty pasta.

Serves 4-5

Nutritional content per serving:

2010kj | 77g carbohydrate | 27g protein | 7g fat | 7g fibre

Ingredients:

15 ml olive oil

1 red onion, finely chopped

5-10 ml crushed chili from a jar – we used John West

2 x 400 g cans of cut, peeled & diced tomatoes (Garlic, Basil and Oregano flavour)

15 ml capers

a hand full of black olives, pitted and chopped

5 ml brown sugar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

500 g penne pasta

2 x 170 g tuna in brine, drained

Handful fresh basil leaves

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion and chili until soft and translucent.

2. Add the fresh cut tomatoes, capers, olives and sugar and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste.

3. Cook the pasta according to the pack instructions. Drain the pasta and stir the tomato sauce through.

4. Lastly, drain the tuna and scatter over the pasta.

5. Scatter with basil leaves.

Cans and jars

Cans and jars are the backbone of your store cupboard. With a variety of canned fish like tuna and pilchards in stock it’s easy to whip up delicious pastas and salads in no time. Canned oily fish like pilchards contain omega-3 fatty acids which assist in the prevention of heart disease and diabetes. It’s also an outstanding source of protein, calcium, selenium and iron.

Canned tomatoes are another staple you just can’t live without. Toss together a quick pasta sauce or use as a base for soups and casseroles. Tomatoes provide lycopene, a powerful anti-oxidant which protects the body against free radicals. Jars filled with capers, olives, anchovies and sun dried tomatoes are the flavour components that will take your food from ordinary to sublime.

Canned Food Safety Precautions:

- Canned foods have no preservatives, so once opened, treat as fresh food.

- Rotate your stock of canned foods and use them within twelve months.

- Don’t buy cans that are dented, have damaged seams, or are rusted, bulging or blown.