Tuna Sauce on Zucchini Pasta
Summer days on a plate
What a summer! Full of experiences which left little time for cooking and blogging. But cooler air and quieter days have returned and I am looking forward to pottering around in the kitchen again.
When times are as busy as they have been lately, this tuna pasta sauce is one of my go-to dishes. All the ingredients come straight out of the storage cupboard and it takes hardly any effort or time to throw together. As I try to get as many vegetables on my plate as possible I serve it on a tiny portion of spaghetti with a big pile of zucchini “pasta”.
The reason why this recipe is at top of my lists to share, is because it is a big thank you to my friend LL for the lovely visit I had with her in Italy at the beginning of the summer. This recipe (originally her mother’s) takes me straight back to the early years of our friendship: she made this dish a few times before we went out for a night on the town.
Thank you L for all those long years of friendship…and this fab sauce recipe (and apologies if it is not quite the same as you taught me all those years ago) 🙂
Strolling through Cervia
Ingredients
Serves 1-2
1 onion
oil
1 clove of garlic
1 can of good quality tuna (I have to admit that using a tuna on a good olive oil tastes best but I tend to use tuna packed with only a few drops of water)
1 can of tomato
1/2 tsp vegetable stock powder / cube
chili flakes
salt, pepper
1/3 – 1/2 portion of whole wheat spaghetti
1 zucchini
optional: parmesan cheese
Recipe
- Chop the onion. Fry in a saucepan in a little oil.
- Squeeze in the garlic and fry until golden.
- Drain and add the can of tuna.
- Chop the tomatoes and add with the juice.
- Season with stock powder, chili flakes, salt and pepper.
- Allow to simmer, stirring once in a while.
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil add plenty of salt.
- Using a julienne peeler* cut the zucchini into strips.
- Add pasta and cook.
- 2 minutes before the pasta is done add the zucchini strips.
- Sprinkle with parmesan shavings.
Tips
The only thing I use my julienne peeler for is to cut zucchini into pasta. Nonetheless I find it totally worth having. I love the fact that it lets me have all the joy of eating pasta with all the health benefits of eating vegetables.
If you do not have a julienne peeler, you can also use a regular peeler or knife to cut the zucchini into thin ribbons.
afra cooking 
Yummyy!!!!!!
Thank you so much for visiting my blog and dropping me a line!
Wow I loved the post….and the recipe is so amazing….I guess i am going to try it very soon….The photo is driving me crazy right now lol cuz I am hungry 😛 Loved it.
Thank you for the lovely compliments. Well, it takes no time at all to whip up so its the perfect dish to throw together when you are starving!
Welcome back! I am eagerly waiting to hear about your many travels. At least I’ve heard about LL and I now know what one of her favourite recipes is.
This sounds like a very delicious recipe and oh yes I don’t have a julienne peeler but I do have some zucchini in my fridge right now and I love a lot of olive oil in my pasta-tuna. I will give this a try sometime next week. The weekend is rather busy for me. Thank you so much for the barrage of likes and wish you a lovely weekend! Best wishes!
This makes a perfect dish for those really busy days. And as much as I enjoyed the madness of the last weeks I am happy that things have calmed down again (and I have the time to finally browse recipes again – you really have cooked some amazing dishes!)
Thanks, for your kind words and thanks for visiting my blog earlier today. You’re so kind. I had a very busy weekend, out of town and can hardly get back into the blogging mode. I feel tired and worn out. I look forward to your next recipe. Have a wonderful evening. I have to take my son for basketball practice now. Oh how I wish I could just sit and laze around the Tv…best wishes!
I would truly be lost without my julienne peeler and especially because I do love vegetable spaghetti strips, cucumber being one if them! Good quality pasta & tuna is a treat in itself, for the both of us! 🙂
Vegetable spaghetti has been one of these mind blowing disoveries in made whilst hunting for low carb dishes. Fabuolous idea to use cucumber – I’ll give that a try!!
Cucmber spaghetti & salmon are a winning combo!
I don’t know if you eat potato, but there’s a very traditional type of Asian ‘raw’ potato noodle, eaten in some areas. They simply grate and squeeze out the starch. Season well with salt and sesame oil, then finish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds. It’s actually so simple, super crunchy, almost like a pickled potato. Worth trying if you do eat them!
Wow – yes I do eat potato (and I love anything new). I have never come across the dish you describe on my travels, I have even heard of it. I really must give it a try! Thank you so much for sharing it!!
Your dish is so colorful with the zucchini pasta. I’m sure it is a good as it looks.
Thank you for your lovely compliment!
MMMM,…my friend! This is indeed a tasty easy dish to make & to devour too!
How lovely of you to drop by. Always happy to see your comments!
😉 xxx
Yes I will taste it.
Let me know what you think of it. It really is the simplest of dishes which is perfect for a busy day.
ciao! a new pasta dish for me:) i really like the zucchini ‘pasta’…will definitely try this recipe. thanks for sharing.
thebestdressup
So glad you like the idea of it! Tell me how it turns out 🙂