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Lemony Tuna & Dill Pasta

Leftovers Girl
A pantry and fridge clear weeknight meal idea that feels as if your dining at an Italian restaurant
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Prep Time 45 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 225 grams spaghetti about half of a standard sizedpackage
  • 1 can olive oil-packed tuna small 3 oz can
  • 2 cloves garlic pressed or minced
  • 1/2 lemon zested
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp salt or to taste
  • 1 tbsp capers drained
  • 2 tbsp fresh dill chopped
  • freshly grated Parmesan cheese to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • red pepper flakes to taste

Instructions
 

  • Bring large pot of water to a rolling boil.
  • Drain tuna from packing oil and put into a bowl.
  • Add garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, capers to the bowl.
  • Combine with a fork. Be mindful to gently press and separate any chunks of tuna to a size and texture where they would easily adhere to the pasta.
  • Rest on the counter to let these ingredients marry while the pasta cooks.
  • Cook and drain pasta as per package instructions. Pasta should be al dente. No pasta water needs to be reserved for this recipe.
  • Add all components previously combined in a bowl, to the cooked and drained pasta.
  • We prefer to introduce parmesan and black pepper at this point, lightly coating all of the pasta while tossing and combining.
  • Sprinkle and gently combine most (not all) of the soft herbs for the last few tosses.
  • Serve and garnish with black pepper, parmesan, red pepper flakes and any remaining soft herbs.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

NOTES: 
  1. Cook the pasta al dente. The sauce is mixed in cold so the pasta will not cook any further during assembly. 
  2. This recipe is based off of a small can of tuna (3oz) but can easily be doubled to accommodate a 6oz can of tuna.
  3. We prefer to use half a lemon’s zest so the other half of the lemon can be used to garnish an accompanying cocktail. 
  4. We reach for this recipe when we have an abundance of leftover soft herbs. Some options include cilantro or flat-leaf parsley. Cilantro will produce a brighter result while Parsley will produce something earthier. Dill really pushes that lemon flavor even further, so use sparingly or leave out depending on your preference. We love how fresh it tastes so we always make this dish when there is leftover dill.
  5. Rinse the lemon in hot water before zesting to improve flavour.