We made this dinner from ingredients we always have on hand—pasta, a can of tuna, mushrooms, broccoli, onion, garlic, and parmesan cheese. John is in charge of making the pasta and I take care of everything else.

I chop all my ingredients up ahead of any cooking. First I sauté the mushrooms in olive oil spray, then I add the onions, and finally the garlic and some oregano. I leave these over a low flame while I check to see where John is at. When the pasta water is boiling I have 8 minutes to finish the vegetables.

When the pasta is down to 4 minutes I turn up the flame under the vegetables and add the broccoli florets with a half cup of the boiling pasta water and cover the pan. John drains the pasta reserving a cup of pasta water. He adds the fusilli to the vegetables and I stir it around adding some of the reserved water and a little olive oil. When everything is well incorporated I turn off the stove and gently add the tuna flakes. I try to keep the tuna in identifiable pieces.

Once the tuna is warm, serve the dish with a sprinkle of Parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.