This is another straight-from-the-pantry dish for days when there’s no time to cook. My mother relied on it very heavily when I was growing up, and everyone loved it. The lemon zest wakes up all the flavors and perfumes the dish, but you could use red pepper flakes instead if you don’t have a lemon.

　　

Ingredients

makes about 1 quart; serves 4 over a pound of pasta as a main course

　　3 cups Marinara Sauce (page 59)

　　2 (6-ounce) cans albacore tuna packed in oil, drained

　　1 tablespoon drained capers

　　1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (from about 1/2 lemon)

　　1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

　　1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

　　1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

　　

Step 1

In a large, heavy skillet, combine the marinara sauce, tuna, capers, and lemon zest. Simmer to blend the flavors, stirring and breaking the tuna into chunks, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper to taste.

　　

Step 2

To serve with pasta: Add drained freshly cooked pasta to the sauce, and toss to coat. Add enough reserved cooking liquid from the pasta to moisten.

　　Reprinted with permission from Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes by Martha Stewart Living Magazine. Copyright © 2005 by Giada De Laurentiis. Published by Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Giada De Laurentiis is the star of Food Network's Everyday Italian and Behind the Bash. She attended the Cordon Bleu in Paris, and then worked in a variety of Los Angeles restaurants, including Wolfgang Puck's Spago, before starting her own catering and private-chef company, GDL Foods. The granddaughter of movie producer Dino De Laurentiis, Giada was born in Rome and grew up in Los Angeles, where she now lives.