Zucchini Pasta With Tuna and Chile Paste
Updated July 17, 2024
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- ½teaspoon fine sea or table salt, more as needed
- 8ounces long, thin pasta, such as bucatini, spaghetti or linguine
- 3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
- 4scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
- 1pound zucchini, trimmed, halved lengthwise and sliced into ½-inch-thick half-moons
- 3garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 3tablespoons drained capers
- ½ to 3teaspoons chile paste, such as gochujang, harissa, aji amarillo, sambal oelek or Sriracha, more to taste
- 1cup roughly chopped fresh herbs, such as cilantro and mint
- 1(5- or 6-ounce) can tuna, drained
- 2teaspoons fresh lemon juice, more to taste
Nutritional analysis per serving (3 servings)
487 calories; 16 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 64 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 23 grams protein; 784 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
- Step 1
In a well-salted pot of boiling water, cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain, saving ½ cup pasta water.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the oil over medium. Add scallion whites and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add zucchini and ½ teaspoon salt, and cook until golden brown and tender, 7 to 12 minutes. Add garlic, capers and chile paste, and cook, 1 to 2 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant. Taste and season with more salt if needed.
- Step 3
Add ½ cup pasta water, let it reduce until there is just a little left in the pan, 3 to 4 minutes, then add pasta and ½ cup herbs, and toss well to coat. Stir in tuna and lemon juice, tossing well. Taste and add more chile paste, lemon juice or salt as needed.
- Step 4
Serve, topped with remaining ½ cup herbs, scallion greens, and a drizzle of olive oil.
Private Notes
Comments
If cooking a small amount of pasta for one or two people, significantly reduce the amount of water used to boil the pasta. When adding the pasta water, what's really being added is the starch from the boiled pasta. Reducing the amount of water assures that there is plenty of starch in the water from the pasta-for-two in the pot.
Have been making this sort of quick dinner for years. Yellowfin tuna works best. And I like to stir in a can of cannellini beans, rinsed.
This is addressed in the introductory paragraph & related article "Each paste contributes a host of nuances, spices and textures, leading the dish in slightly different directions. Stick with your favorite and you’ll do no wrong."
Disappointedly underwhelmed...and I followed the recipe except I cooked the zucchini in 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil instead of 3 (it was plenty). Maybe it was the harissa sauce I used; very mild Mina's. My palate and tummy don't tolerate spicy very well. I found adding the pasta water obliterated the nice caramelization on the zucchini and didn't add much to the dish. Melissa Clark's other Pasta With Tuna, Capers and Scallions is much more to my liking.
This is a really good pasta dish. It combines everything you need for a healthy meal. It hit all the right notes for us. The only thing I changed up was which herbs I used - mint, parsley and basil - because that's what I had.
Made as written, using 3 tsp Sriracha as my chile paste. Does not need any tweaks. Delicious. Salty, crunchy, slightly piquant, rounded out with chewy noodles and fat from the olive oil. Perfection.