I Made it Monday: Spicy Tuna Linguine

Don't let the name with "spicy" and "tuna" fool you if you don't like these. With this recipe you can control the spiciness and you don't HAVE to use tuna. You could easily use some other type of meat or no meat if you so choose. Personally I thought the tuna was a unique flavor in this dish and it's nice to use tuna for something other than a sandwich.

DON'T be intimidated by the ingredient list. If you really look at it, a lot of the ingredients are things you may have on hand or in storage.

DO enjoy this amazing recipe. When Dan took a bite his eyes got big and said this was the best thing I had ever made - he is always so nice...but I do have to say I surprised myself. I would say this dish is restaurant worthy! ALSO, it is a one-skillet meal - meaning - you only dirty ONE cooking dish and everything just keeps getting added to the same dish.

On to the recipe...

Spicy Tuna and Linguine

2 Tbs olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/2 Cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (this is the spicy - use less if desired)
2 1/2 cups chopped plum tomatoes (I used cut up regular Roma tomatoes and the kind of fell apart. So getting the right tomatoes may make a big difference - OR just add regular tomatoes at a later point so they don't get so mushy and fall apart.)
1 Can (14 1/2 oz) OR 2 Cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 pkg (9 oz) uncooked linguine
1 pouch (7 oz) OR 1 can (6 oz) Tuna
1/3 Cup chopped cilantro
1/3 Cup toasted pine nuts OR Almonds (Optional: but does add a lot) - (I happened to have a handful of whole almonds from a while ago so I took my hammer, did some crushing and used that - it really made the dish a little fancier and "gourmet-ish")

~ In 12 inch skillet: heat olive oil over med-high heat. Sate garlic, mushrooms, onion and red pepper until golden brown.
~ Add tomatoes, ckn broth, salt and pepper - bring to a boil
~ Separate uncooked linguine into strands; place in skillet and spoon sauce over.
~ Reduce heat to simmer: cook, covered, 4 more minutes or until linguine is cooked through.
~ Toss gently; add tuna and cilantro and toss again.
~ Optional: sprinkle with pine nuts or almonds