If you're looking for a light and refreshing pasta dish that's bursting with flavor, then pasta tonnato nests are the perfect recipe for you. The combination of the creamy tuna sauce, briny capers, and tender pasta is simply irresistible. Best of all, this dish is incredibly easy to make and can be whipped up in just a few minutes. So gather your ingredients and get ready to enjoy a delicious and satisfying pasta meal that's sure to become a new favorite.
Here are our top 10 tried and tested recipes!
SPAGHETTI NESTS
Provided by Giada De Laurentiis
Categories main-dish
Time 45m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of four 4-inch-diameter springform pans.
- For the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and place in a large bowl. Add the spinach, cheese, oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Toss well until the spinach is wilted. Set aside to cool.
- For assembly: Beat the Parmesan, milk, salt and egg together in a large bowl until smooth. Pour the sauce over the spaghetti mixture until well combined. Twirl 1/2 cupfuls of the spaghetti mixture around tongs or a large fork and transfer to the prepared pans. Make an indentation in the middle of each nest of pasta and drizzle with olive oil. Bake 15 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before removing the sides from the pans. Remove the bottoms of the pans from the nests using a thin metal spatula.
- Spoon 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce on each of 4 serving plates. Place the spaghetti nests on the sauce. Place 3 balls of the mozzarella in each nest and serve.
PASTA AL TONNO
Steps:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain the spaghetti in a colander.
- While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the capers and garlic and cook, stirring, until the garlic is golden, about 1 minute. Add the bruschetta topping, red pepper flakes and a pinch of black pepper and cook, stirring, until hot, about 4 minutes.
- Add the drained spaghetti to the skillet along with the tuna, parsley and about 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water. Add more cooking water to loosen if desired and serve.
PASTA TONNATO NESTS
Categories Olive Pasta Tomato Quick & Easy Tuna Red Wine Winter Bon Appétit
Yield 2 Servings, Can be doubled
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, about 2 minutes for fresh and 10 minutes for dried. Drain pasta. Return to same pot and toss with oil.
- Combine sauce and wine in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to simmer over medium heat. Mix in tuna and olives, being careful to keep tuna in fairly large pieces. Season with salt and pepper.
- Divide pasta between 2 plates. Using large spoon, make indentation in centers of pasta to create "nests." Spoon sauce into centers. Sprinkle each with basil.
VITELLO TONNATO
Provided by Amanda Hesser
Categories dinner, project, main course
Time 45m
Yield 6 to 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 17
Steps:
- In a pot just large enough to fit veal, put wine, celery, onion, carrot, leek, marjoram, thyme and garlic. Add 3 inches of water, and bring to a boil. Add veal, and bring back to a boil. Immediately turn off heat, cover pot and let veal cool in its liquid 2 to 3 hours. When completely cool, thinly slice veal. Slices should be about 1/16 to 1/8 inch thick.
- While veal cools, make sauce: In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and 1/4 teaspoon salt until pale yellow and the consistency of cream. Beginning a drop at a time, add 1 1/4 cups oil, whisking continually. As mixture thickens, you can add oil more quickly. When it gets quite thick, whisk in 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Continue adding oil until all of it has been absorbed and mayonnaise is quite thick and shiny. Whisk in another tablespoon of lemon juice.
- Drain tuna, and put it in a food processor with anchovies, remaining cup olive oil, remaining lemon juice and capers. Process until you get a creamy, uniformly blended sauce. Scrape sauce into bowl with mayonnaise and fold to combine. Taste. It should be quite tangy and highly seasoned. Refrigerate until needed.
- To assemble dish: remove 3/4 cup sauce, and reserve to serve alongside veal. Smear bottom of a large serving platter with some of the remaining tuna sauce. Place a layer of veal slices on top, meeting edge to edge without overlapping. Cover with sauce, then make another layer of meat and sauce. Repeat until all the meat is used. Leave yourself enough sauce to blanket top layer.
- Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. Bring to room temperature before serving. Garnish with some or all suggested ingredients. Serve with reserved sauce on the side.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 875, UnsaturatedFat 58 grams, Carbohydrate 7 grams, Fat 75 grams, Fiber 1 gram, Protein 37 grams, SaturatedFat 13 grams, Sodium 732 milligrams, Sugar 2 grams
TONNATO SAUCE
I was probably in my early twenties when this sauce first appeared on my culinary radar as 'vitello tonnato.' At the time, a plate of cold, thinly-sliced poached veal dressed with a chilled, runny tuna sauce didn't make a lot of sense, but I tried it anyway, and have been a fan ever since. I don't often serve it with the traditional veal, but ironically that's the only thing I don't serve it with. Tonnato sauce is tremendous as a spread and equally impressive as an all-purpose, all-world dip.
Provided by Chef John
Categories Appetizers and Snacks Seafood
Time 15m
Yield 16
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Blend tuna with reserved oil, mayonnaise, anchovies, olive oil, lemon juice, capers, and garlic together in a blender until completely smooth. Season with cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 126.3 calories, Carbohydrate 0.7 g, Cholesterol 7 mg, Fat 12 g, Fiber 0.1 g, Protein 4.2 g, SaturatedFat 1.8 g, Sodium 192.6 mg, Sugar 0.2 g
PASTA NESTS
These little bakes nests of spaghetti are really simple but look very impressive when served up. Fill them with your favourite roasted veg or meats
Provided by PinkCherryBlossom
Categories Spaghetti
Time 1h5m
Yield 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Cook the spaghetti in boiling water for 8 - 10 mins so it still has some bite inches Drain and set aside.
- Mix the olive oil with the garlic.
- place the vegetables on a large tray and drizzle over the olive oil.
- Grill the veg for 10 mins until tender and lightly charred. Keep warm.
- divide the spaghetti among 4 greased tins. (I use a Yorkshire pudding pan) Curl round a fork to form nest shapes and brush with the melted butter and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs.
- bake the pasta nests for 15 mins at 200C/400F.
- Place a pasta nest on a serving plate and to with the grilled vegetables.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 508.4, Fat 31.6, SaturatedFat 9.4, Cholesterol 26.7, Sodium 108, Carbohydrate 49.6, Fiber 6.7, Sugar 5.8, Protein 9
CHEF JOHN'S SPAGHETTI AL TONNO
Spaghetti al tonno is one of my all-time favorite go-to pasta dishes. I love a classic meat sauce as much as the next half-Italian, but when I want something quick and easy for a weeknight meal, I reach for the tuna. What if you don't like fish? Then this is perfect. The taste and texture is really closer to a veal sauce than one made with fish.
Provided by Chef John
Categories World Cuisine Recipes European Italian
Time 55m
Yield 4
Number Of Ingredients 16
Steps:
- Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir anchovy and capers in hot oil until anchovy crumbles, about 2 minutes. Add garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Pour white wine, oregano, and red pepper flakes into the skillet and increase heat to high; cook until mixture reduces and about 3 tablespoons of liquid remain, 2 to 4 minutes.
- Stir tomatoes into the skillet and bring to a simmer. Season tomato mixture with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until slightly reduced, about 10 minutes.
- Stir tuna and 1/4 cup parsley into tomato sauce, breaking up tuna with a wooden spoon while stirring. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until almost cooked through and still slightly firm to the bite, 9 to 11 minutes. Drain and transfer spaghetti back to the pot.
- Pour tomato sauce over spaghetti into the pot; stir to combine, cover the pot with a lid, and let sit until spaghetti is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Ladle spaghetti into bowls, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, and sprinkle Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and parsley over the top.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 619.5 calories, Carbohydrate 79.5 g, Cholesterol 14.2 mg, Fat 17.7 g, Fiber 6.7 g, Protein 31.2 g, SaturatedFat 3.4 g, Sodium 706.5 mg, Sugar 2.7 g
TOMATO BASIL PASTA NESTS
Delicious!! A very fast and easy meal, that is lovely enough for guests. Found it in Rachael Ray's 365: No Repeats recipe book. The basil is wonderful!! Great to serve with crusty bread.
Provided by PenguinSafari
Categories European
Time 20m
Yield 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Salt the water and cook the pasta al dente, with a bite to it.
- While the water is heating, begin the sauce by heating a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, garlic, and onions. Saute for 8 to 10 minutes; reduce the heat a bit if the onions begin to brown. You want them to become sweet and soft, but not to caramelize.
- Stir in the tomatoes and heat through. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Wilt in the basil and turn off the heat. Stir in pesto sauce.
- Drain the pasta and add to the sauce. Toss in the pan to distribute. Sprinkle in the cheese, tossing to combine (or leave out and serve at table). Grab a meat fork. Stick the fork into the pasta and bring up a heaping forkful. Turn and twist the pasta, using your palm to guide the pasta a bit, to form a nest. Serve! Makes 8 nests, 4 inches wide and 5-6 inches long.
- For Vegan omit the cheese or use a Vegan Cheese sub.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 673.9, Fat 17.9, SaturatedFat 5.3, Cholesterol 14.4, Sodium 610, Carbohydrate 103.7, Fiber 8, Sugar 4.4, Protein 26.2
TONNATO SAUCE
Categories Sauce Blender Quick & Easy Mayonnaise Tuna Capers Gourmet
Yield Makes about 2 cups
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- In a blender purée all ingredients, including oil from tuna can, until smooth and season with salt and pepper.
TOMATO TONNATO
"Essentially tuna salad put into the blender until it liquefies" is how Melissa Clark described tonnato sauce back in 2012, when she brought this recipe to The Times, with the caveat that "it tastes much better than it sounds." The method is as simple as can be: The sauce is whipped together in a blender (though a food processor would also work), then spread over some fresh tomatoes. It's the best kind of summer meal - fresh and seasonal, easy and packed with flavor.
Provided by Melissa Clark
Categories easy, quick, salads and dressings, side dish
Time 15m
Yield 6 to 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- In a blender, combine olive oil, tuna, mayonnaise, capers, lemon juice, anchovies, garlic and 2 tablespoons basil and purée until creamy.
- Lay tomatoes out on a platter and spoon sauce over the tops. Season with salt and a generous amount of pepper and garnish with basil leaves. Serve with bread.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 168, UnsaturatedFat 13 grams, Carbohydrate 5 grams, Fat 15 grams, Fiber 1 gram, Protein 4 grams, SaturatedFat 2 grams, Sodium 331 milligrams, Sugar 3 grams
Tips:
- For the best flavor, use high-quality tuna in oil. Look for tuna that is sustainably sourced and packed in olive oil.
- If you don't have capers, you can substitute chopped pickles or olives.
- To make the sauce ahead of time, simply cover it and refrigerate for up to 3 days. When you're ready to serve, bring it to room temperature before using.
- If you don't have a food processor, you can mash the tuna and capers by hand. Just be sure to mash them until they are very smooth.
- To make the nests, you can use any type of pasta that you like. Just be sure to cook it al dente, so that it still has a bit of a bite to it.
- If you don't have a muffin tin, you can also make the nests in a regular baking dish. Just be sure to grease the dish well so that the nests don't stick.
Conclusion:
Pasta tonnato nests are a delicious and easy-to-make appetizer or main course. They are perfect for a party or potluck, and they can be made ahead of time. With a few simple ingredients, you can create a dish that is sure to impress your guests.
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