High-protein one-pot pasta with tuna, capers and lemon

One-pot pasta with spaghetti, chopped tomatoes, tuna, capers, lemon and parsley, all cooked in one pot. A high-protein dinner in 25 minutes with 34 g of protein per serving.

At a glance

• Serves 4
• Prep time: 10 min
• Cooking time: 15 min
• Total time: 25 min
• Calories: 533 kcal per serving
• Protein: 34 g
• Fat: 8 g
• Carbs: 79 g

Ingredients

• 400g spaghetti
• 2 tins of tuna (in water or olive oil)
• 2 tbsp capers
• 1 unwaxed lemon
• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• 800ml vegetable stock
• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 bunch of parsley

Method

You’ll need: saucepan · chopping board · knife · sieve · grater · wooden spoon

1. Dice the onion and garlic and soften them in the olive oil in a wide pan for 2 min.
2. Add the spaghetti, tomatoes, stock and chilli flakes. Break the spaghetti in half if needed so it's just covered with liquid.
3. Bring everything to the boil and simmer uncovered for 10 to 12 min, until the pasta is al dente and the liquid has almost all been absorbed. Stir often so nothing sticks.
4. Grate the lemon zest and squeeze the juice. Drain the tuna.
5. Fold in the tuna, capers, lemon zest and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
6. Chop the parsley and scatter it over the pasta.

Good to know

One pot, no draining, and the starch from the spaghetti thickens the sauce by itself. Tuna and capers come from the cupboard, and the lemon freshens everything up. After 25 minutes, dinner is on the table.

Swaps

Tuna → tinned mackerel or chickpeas (vegan). Spaghetti → wholewheat spaghetti (2 min longer). Capers → chopped olives. Parsley → basil.

Cooking tips

Use a wide pan so the spaghetti lies flat and cooks evenly. Only fold in the tuna at the end, or it falls apart.

Storage

Keeps for 2 days in the fridge; reheat in a frying pan with a splash of water.

Allergens

Contains gluten (wheat) and fish. For children, leave out the chilli flakes. In pregnancy, limit tuna (mercury), as the NHS advises; here it's heated through.

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