I think most of you can relate, it’s the day old question, “what to make for dinner?” It makes me cringe every time.  I’m not a food blogger or a chef, but I do love food and I enjoy eating.  The thought of having to grocery shop at the end of the day, isn’t ideal. So today, I challenged myself. There must be something in the fridge or cupboard I can cook with?  It’s amazing what one can come up with!  Here you go…

Lemon Tuna Penne

1/2 lb penne pasta, or whatever you happen to have in the cupboard, linguine?

2 cans of Tuna, any brand, although, I always buy pole and line

1 lemon or lime

1 cup of frozen peas, cook with pasta towards the end

1 cup sugar snap peas, cook with pasta toward the end

1 large bunch of basil, or parsley, or both, chopped finely

2 large cloves of garlic or more

chilli flakes, at your discretion, I probably used 2 tsp or more

1/2 cup to 3/4 cup Olive oil, start with less and add more to thin out the mixture

Method

Bring salted water to a boil, add pasta, and cook until al dente. In a sauté pan, warm the olive oil and garlic, then gradually add chili flakes. Keep warm until ready to use. Once the pasta is cooked, add the tuna, grated lemon rind, lemon juice, and chopped herbs. When warm, pour the olive oil mixture over the pasta and combine, adding more olive oil if necessary. Serve with cracked pepper and Parmesan cheese.

This was surprisingly delicious! Serves 2 with leftovers for lunch. Double everything for a family of 4.

Side note

I happened to have all these ingredients in my fridge/freezer. Imagine adding diced tomatoes to the olive oil and heating them until they fall apart. You could use edamame instead of peas if you want more vegetables. Green onions, green peppers, or capers would be great as well. Toss in whatever you think would work; you’ll be surprised at how wonderful everything tastes!