Penne with Fresh Tuna and Cherry Tomatoes

In this Southern Italian–inspired one-pot pasta, a thick tuna steak cooks to moist perfection at the same time as the penne, cherry tomatoes, and olives. When the cooking is done, break up the tuna into large flakes with a spoon and mix it into the pasta. The sauce will look thin at first glance, but it thickens into a beautiful, clingy sauce upon standing.

Cuisine

Italian

Course

Main Course

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

30-60 min

Diet

Dairy Free

Cooking Technique

Pressure Cook

Keywords

30-60 min, 4 servings, cherry tomatoes, contributed, cook 30 min, dairy free, easy, fresh basil leaves, fresh lemon juice, garlic, italian, Ivy Manning, lemon zest, main course, oil-cured olives, olive oil, penne pasta, prep 5 min, pressure cook, red chile flakes, salt and pepper, sweet onion, tuna steak

Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

30 min

Servings

4 servings

Ingredients

12 ounces penne pasta
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1 small sweet onion
1/3 cup oil-cured olives
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes
Salt and pepper
1 inches tuna steak
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions

Combine the pasta, cherry tomatoes, onion, olives, oil, garlic, red chile flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and several grinds of black pepper in the pot. Add 2 3/4 cups water and stir to combine. Place the tuna on top of the pasta mixture but do not submerge it.
Lock on the lid, select the Pressure Cook function, and adjust to Low pressure for 6 minutes. Make sure the steam valve is in the “Sealing” position and that the “Keep Warm” button is off.
While the pasta is cooking, stack the basil leaves, roll them up tightly as you would a sleeping bag, and slice crosswise into thin ribbons.
When the cooking time is up, quick-release the pressure. Remove the lid. Add the basil, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the pot and stir, breaking up the fish into bite-size chunks. Season with salt and black pepper.
Let the pasta stand in the pot set in the appliance, uncovered, for 5 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken before serving.

Notes

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