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recipe

Heidi Sze's quick and easy tuna pasta with zucchini and basil

ABC Everyday
By Heidi Sze
Prep time
0:20
Cook time
0:20
Skill level
Low
Serves
4–6
A close-up shows a hand stirring a full pan of tuna pasta with zucchini, basil and rigatoni pasta.
This simple pasta is not only a joy to eat but also a delight to prepare. It has a friendly, rather than fussy, amount of chopping and stirring.
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This is a recipe I find myself returning to again and again when I am in need of a bowl of sustenance, and perhaps a quiet moment to stand at the kitchen sink rinsing leeks. I always feel better after cooking and eating it.

Short pasta shapes work splendidly in this recipe, but I'm yet to find a sauce I do not enjoy eating tangled amongst a pile of spaghetti, so I advise you to choose a variety of pasta that makes you happy. And don't be shy with the basil — together with the lemon, it helps to bring it all to life.

This simple pasta is not only a joy to eat but also a delight to prepare. It has a friendly, rather than fussy, amount of chopping and stirring.

The ingredients for tuna pasta on a bench: rigatoni pasta, leek, basil, butter cubes, zucchini, tuna chunks and lemon.
Short pasta shapes such as rigatoni, casarecce and penne work well in this recipe.

Tips:

  • Halve the recipe if desired, and use 1 large or 2 small leeks.
  • Short pasta shapes such as rigatoni, casarecce and penne work well here.
  • Squeeze excess fluid out of the grated zucchini only if there's an excessive amount of water — a bit of wetness is desired.
  • Optional toppings include chilli flakes, pangrattato, parmesan cheese or goats cheese.
  • Make the meal plant-based by omitting the butter and tuna, and topping with toasted pine nuts or pangrattato.
Hands holding a bowl of tuna rigatoni pasta with zucchini, basil and lemon juice, a quick and easy recipe.
Don't be shy with the basil — together with the lemon, it helps to bring it all to life.

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Ingredients

Method

  1. 1.Put a pot of water on to cook the pasta. While you wait, wash and dry the sliced leeks, and set aside.
  2. 2.In a wide, heavy-based saucepan warm the oil and butter over medium-low heat. Add the leeks and a pinch of fine sea salt, then stir to combine. Cook for around 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the leek has softened.
  3. 3.Add the zucchini and another pinch of fine sea salt, then stir to combine. Cook for 3–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini has softened. Ideally there will be a small amount of green-tinged liquid in the pan at this point — it should be neither dry nor soupy. If the mixture is too wet, cook for a couple more minutes to allow some of the liquid to evaporate.
  4. 4.Meanwhile, add salt to the pot of boiling water and cook the pasta according to packet instructions until al dente (don't overcook the pasta, as it will get a second heating in the pan). Before draining, remove ½ cup pasta cooking water and set aside.
  5. 5.Add the tuna to the zucchini mixture and stir, breaking up any large chunks, followed by 3 tablespoons of the lemon juice. Cook for a minute or so, then taste and add any additional lemon juice or salt as desired.
  6. 6.Add the cooked pasta to the pan and stir well to allow the sauce to coat the pasta. Depending on how wet the mixture is, you may wish to add a dash of pasta cooking water to help bring the sauce together (I rarely do this for this recipe, as I find it is saucy enough, but it's a good trick to have up your sleeve). Check the seasoning is to your taste and add more salt if needed. Just before serving add the basil leaves and stir.
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