dinner:

tuna rocket lemon and tomato pasta

Published 27th August 2017

I love a good bowl of pasta and this creation came about nearly 10 years ago when I was in the height of my running ‘career’, where my life consisted of working, running, running coaching, eating, sleeping and drinking wine :). My weekends were coaching, running, drinking some wine on a Saturday night and then a long run on a Sunday morning. This delicious bowl of pasta was my go-to either for a Saturday night carb load or a post Sunday long run lunch. And the best part, it literally takes as long as it takes to cook the pasta, so about 10-15 minutes.

 
 
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This is the first time I have made this dish in quite some time as Aaron isn’t a massive fan of tinned tuna, however, if he’s away, the kids and I will devour it.

What do I like so much about it? It’s very well balanced. There are obviously carbs, which can be portion controlled if you are worried about too many carbs in your diet. There’s tuna, which is one of the best sources of protein and omega 3’s and the tomatoes and rocket provide a good salad/vegetable component. My general recommendation when serving pasta is about 1 cup cooked per person, so aim for that and if you feel that isn’t enough, then have a side salad or add some extra tomatoes and rocket into this dish.

Omega 3’s are essential fatty acids that are needed by the body and do so many great things, such as improve brain health, reduce inflammation and promote heart health. Ideally, we should be aiming for at least 3 serves per week of oily fish, which includes tuna, salmon (skin on), sardines, cod and mackerel. So, if you aren’t getting enough fish at dinner, a tin of tuna or salmon at lunch is a great way to incorporate some more.

My kids love tuna, which makes me really happy. They will eat it in pasta, in patties and even by itself straight out of the tin. This makes last minute meal prep for them very easy if we are going out for dinner or having dinner once they are in bed, think tuna, veggies, pasta/potato – so easy!

So, next time you are rushing home from work and have no dinner plans, consider this one…it’s so easy!

Enjoy xx

 
 
 
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Ingredients:

Serves 2

  • 1 x 190g unflavoured tinned tuna in olive oil

  • 150g dried spaghetti

  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed

  • 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes, halved

  • 2 handfuls rocket leaves

  • Juice and zest of 1 lemon

  • 2 tbs pine nuts, toasted

  • 1 tbs olive oil

 

Method:

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Once boiling, add the spaghetti and cook until al dente.

  2. To toast the pine nuts, heat a small frypan over medium heat. Add the pine nuts and cook until lightly browned. Remove from heat and set aside.

  3. Heat a medium sized frypan over medium heat. Add olive oil, crushed garlic and cherry tomatoes. Cook, stirring for about 3-4 minutes. Add the lemon zest and half the juice and the tuna, oil and all. Cook, stirring occasionally until the tuna is heated through, 2-3 minutes. Turn heat off.

  4. Once the pasta is cooked, drain, reserving 1-2 tbs of liquid. Place into large bowl.

  5. Add the rocket, tuna mix, reserved liquid and pine nuts to the bowl, along with the remaining lemon juice and drizzle of olive oil. Mix well to combine.

  6. Serve between 2 dishes. So quick, so easy and SO tasty!