Recipe: Protein Pasta, Tuna and Capers

Pasta is such a quick and easy staple, but any pasta meals fall short of providing enough protein, particularly if you're vegetarian. In The Non-Diet Method I recommend using a higher protein pasta like legume pasta (chickpea, lentil or pea) or a pasta that has been fortified with extra protein. 

This tuna pasta recipe is the real deal. It tastes authentically Mediterranean, is nutritionally balanced and is so easy to pull together. Ingredients to table in 20 minutes and it’s delightful served with a side of tender stem broccoli or fresh in-season asparagus.

Steam or griddle the broccoli or asparagus to keep the nutrients intact. 

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS 

• Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp Capers
• 2 Cloves of garlic crushed
• 8 Anchovy fillets
• 1/4 Tsp Chilli flakes
• 1 Tin of sustainable tuna
• A handful of Kalamata olives
• Good handful chopped fresh spinach
• Chopped fresh parsley
• Juice of half a lemon
• A good dose of cracked black pepper
• Grated Parmesan
• 140g Lentil, pea, chickpea or protein pasta 

METHOD:

Get all your prepped ingredients lined up.

Add a good slug of olive oil to a large heavy based frying pan. At the same time pop your pasta on to boil (I normally add a slug of oil to the water, a splash of lemon juice and a little salt). Add the capers and crushed garlic to the warmed oil in the frying pan and allow to cook a little before adding the anchovies.

Stir the anchovies around until they dissolve into the oil and capers, this takes about 5 minutes. Once they have dissolved add the drained tin of tuna and mix in. Once your pasta has cooked to Al Dente (around 10 minutes), drain off the water and add the pasta to the frying pan, mixing in well. Then add the chilli flakes, olives, spinach and some grated Parmesan to the pan, stir in and heat through. Finally, add in the parsley, lemon juice and a good few rounds of cracked black pepper, stir in well. Serve up with some steamed broccoli and dress with a little more Parmesan.

It's heavenly!

This recipe is taken from The Non-Diet Method, nutrition and mindset skills for energy, heath and body confidence.