Low-carb tuna courgette pasta

Low-carb tuna courgette pasta with a pale pesto. A high-protein lunch that uses long spirals of veg as a clever pasta swap.

At a glance

• Serves 2
• Prep time: 10 min
• Cooking time: 10 min
• Total time: 20 min
• Calories: 380 kcal per serving
• Protein: 24 g
• Fat: 28 g
• Carbs: 8 g

Ingredients

• 500g courgettes
• 150g tuna
• 50g pesto (made with olive oil, no seed oils)
• 20g pine nuts
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Method

You’ll need: frying pan · spiralizer · sieve

1. Trim the ends off the courgettes and turn them into long noodles with a spiraliser.
2. Drain the tuna well.
3. Toast the pine nuts briefly in a deep frying pan without oil until lightly browned, then take them out.
4. Add the olive oil to the same pan and toss the courgette noodles over a high heat for just 2 min.
5. Take the pan off the heat, fold in the pesto and tuna, and scatter the pine nuts over the top before eating.

Good to know

Courgette noodles are a brilliant trick for a fresh, simple meal. With pesto and fish, you get a real taste of Italy on your plate.

Swaps

Pine nuts → chopped almonds (almonds give the dish a similar bite but are much cheaper in most supermarkets).

Cooking tips

Never fry the thin courgette noodles for longer than two minutes, otherwise they release a huge amount of water and turn to mush.

Storage

Eat the dish straight away while it's piping hot. As it cools, the veg loses a lot of its bite and texture.

Allergens

Contains fish, pine nuts (listed as tree nuts here) and often milk (cheese in the pesto). Gluten-free.