Pasta with Tuna and Arugula

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound dried fettuccine, spaghetti or linguine
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, more to taste
• 2 6-ounce cans tuna packed in olive oil, drained
• Salt
• 5 to 8 ounces baby arugula

Directions

1. Fill a large pot with water, salt it at a rate of 1 Tbsp salt to every 2 quarts of water, and bring it to a strong boil. Stir in the pasta, let the water come back up to a vigorous boil, and cook it uncovered until it is al dente, tender but still slightly firm when you bite it.
2. As the pasta cooks, warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the garlic and hot red pepper flakes, and cook just until the garlic smells fragrant.
3. Add the tuna to the skillet, then break it up with a fork into small, fine pieces. Add salt to taste, and leave the mixture over low heat so it stays warm.
4. Right before the pasta is done, scoop out 1 cup of the boiling pasta water and set it aside. You will use it to loosen the finished pasta so it does not turn dry.
5. Drain the pasta. Depending on how much room you have in the skillet, either transfer the pasta into the pan with the tuna or put the pasta back in the pot and scrape in the tuna mixture.
6. Add the arugula, then toss everything together with tongs until the pasta, tuna, and greens are combined. Pour in some of the reserved hot pasta water to loosen the strands. The arugula will soften as you toss; add more pasta water if the pasta needs it.