Pasta with Tuna, Arugula and Hot Pepper

We eat this all the time in our house now. It's quick and easy and the leftovers disappear fast. I make it with a pound of baby spinach in addition to the arugula. I also use the Barilla Plus whole wheat pasta with extra fiber and protein, and I squeeze a lemon over it all just before I serve it. I got the original recipe from the Simply Recipes blog, which I read obsessively. It is very important to use the Italian tuna packed in olive oil, not the Chicken of the Sea packed in water stuff. Save that for a sandwich. Italian tuna is rich and flavorful and it just makes this incredible.

Pasta with Tuna, Arugula, and Hot Pepper Recipe

Ingredients
1 pound dried fettuccine, spaghetti or linguine
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, or more to taste, finely minced (I double this)
Generous pinch hot red pepper flakes (I use about 2tbs)
2 6-ounce cans tuna packed in olive oil, drained
Kosher salt
1/2 to 3/4 pound baby arugula

1 Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and boil until al dente.
2 While pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium-low heat. Add the garlic and hot pepper flakes and cook until garlic is fragrant and sizzling. Add tuna and shred it into fine flakes with a fork. Season with salt. Keep warm over low heat.
3 Just before the pasta is ready, set aside 1 cup of boiling water from the pasta pot. Drain pasta and return it to the warm pot set over moderate heat. Depending on the size of your pot and skillet, either add the arugula and the tuna mixture to the pasta in the pasta pot, or add the drained pasta to the skillet with the tuna mixture and add the arugula. Toss vigorously with tongs, moistening with some of the reserved pasta water. The arugula will wilt in the heat of the pasta. Divide among warm bowls and serve immediately.