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Pasta puttanesca is a spicy dish made up of tomatoes, anchovies, capers, red pepper flakes, garlic, olives and any pasta. I enjoy it very much, but my kids won't get within ten feet of an anchovy "hair" and capers are an acquired taste so I don't have it often. Making separate meals is a chore whether I write as Short Order Mom or not, so I came up with this idea for pasta that I think is pretty close to the real puttanesca and is also something we'll all eat.

Tuna covers the anchovy flavor well and brined green olives come close to capers without being so different that the kids turn their noses up at them. Throw it together with your favorite jarred pasta sauce and it's quick to cook as well. I've left the red pepper flakes out all together since little ones aren't able to eat them.

Pasta with Tuna Sauce

Hands-On Time: 5 minutes
Ready In: 15 - 20 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1/2 pound penne pasta
6 ounces tuna - canned in water - drained
2 tablespoons each sliced black and Spanish olives
2 cups pasta sauce

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. While pasta is cooking, combine sauce, tuna and olives in a small saucepan and heat through.
3. Drain pasta and toss with sauce.

Notes: You can easily use black olives to replace all of the green olives, but the flavor will change slightly.
If you like red pepper flakes, about a half teaspoon would do the trick with this.