Zucchini Spaghetti With Parsley, Tuna and Lemon
Try this Zucchini Spaghetti With Parsley, Tuna and Lemon recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Zucchini Spaghetti With Parsley, Tuna and Lemon recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 0.94492204104812 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 6.55109910734418 g
- Fiber 0.257036173264095 g
- Protein 0.252474538459967 g
- Saturated Fat 0.908968614935844 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (55g)
- Sodium 2.62244430922556 mg
- Sugar 0.687885867784025 g
- Trans Fat 0.196652468455396 g
- Calories 62 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Once heated, add in the garlic, red pepper flakes and let cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add in the zucchini noodles and cook for 3-5 minutes or until al dente/cooked to your preference.
- Once cooked, stir in the parsley, lemon juice/zest, tuna and olives.
- Toss to combine and heat up the tuna.
- Serve.
Throwing wet zucchini noodles directly into a cold pan guarantees a pool of water rather than tender strands of vegetable pasta. Raw zucchini consists of approximately ninety-five percent water by weight, meaning moisture management dictates the final texture of the dish. When the cellular walls of the squash rupture under heat, internal water escapes rapidly, transforming a quick sauté into a steaming process if the pan is overcrowded or insufficiently preheated.
Equipment and Technique for Extruding and Sautéing
A spiralizer fitted with a blade that produces spaghetti-sized strands is the standard tool required to shape the squash properly. Alternatively, a julienne peeler functions as a manual alternative, though it yields flatter, shorter strips requiring careful handling to prevent breakage. Heat two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a wide skillet over medium heat until shimmering, which ensures the oil forms a thermal barrier that seals the exterior of the noodles before internal moisture can flood the cooking surface. Add minced garlic and red pepper flakes for precisely thirty seconds; exceeding this window burns the garlic solids, introducing acrid sulfur compounds into the fat. Toss the noodles for three to five minutes until they reach an al dente bite, then fold in canned tuna, pitted kalamata olives, fresh parsley, and lemon juice with zest just long enough to warm the protein through without overcooking it.
- Replace kalamata olives with capers at a one-to-one volume ratio if a sharper, briny profile is preferred over oil-cured fruitiness.
- Drain the canned tuna thoroughly in a fine-mesh sieve for two minutes to eliminate excess water that would otherwise dilute the pan emulsion.
- Store leftover prepared zucchini noodles in an airtight container lined with paper towels for no longer than twenty-four hours to absorb residual condensation.
