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This
luscious and healthy pasta dish is exceptionally easy to make.
There's no need to cook the pasta separately because everything
is cooked together in one pot! The recipe below is for Tuna,
Zucchini and Olive Pasta, and at the bottom of the recipe
we show you how to easily use this method to make six other
pasta dishes.
(Read
the related
post.)
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| 3
tablespoons extra virgin olive oil |
| 1
onion—finely chopped |
| 2
cloves garlic—finely
chopped |
| 2
zucchini—halved lengthways and cut into half-inch
slices |
| ½
teaspoon dried oregano |
| 2½
cups boiling water |
| 14
oz (420g) canned tomatoes—chopped |
| 2
tablespoons tomato paste |
| 12
black olives—pitted and chopped |
| 1
teaspoon salt |
| ½
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper |
| 8
oz (240g) short pasta like penne, spirals, shells or macaroni |
| 6
oz (180g) good quality canned tuna in olive oil—drained
and broken into chunks |
| 1
tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley |
|
Finely
grated Parmesan cheese for serving
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HEAT
2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large pot. COOK the onions
for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. ADD the garlic and zucchini
and cook for 3 minutes. ADD the water, tomatoes, tomato paste,
olives, oregano, salt, pepper and pasta, and bring to a boil.
COVER with a lid, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for
20 minutes, stirring once to prevent the pasta sticking. STIR
in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, tuna and parsley
and serve sprinkled with a little Parmesan cheese.
Variations:
Chicken,
Olive and Red Pepper Pasta
Replace the zucchini with strips of red bell pepper, and replace
the tuna with diced skinless roast chicken.
Lentil
Mushroom Bolognese
Replace the zucchini with button mushrooms (cut into quarters)
and finely diced carrot and celery; replace half a cup of
the water with half a cup of white wine; replace the tuna
with canned brown lentils.
Antipasto
Pasta
Replace the zucchini with strips of jarred roasted red pepper,
sun-dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts; use fresh basil instead
of parsley; and replace the tuna with canned white beans.
Pasta
Primavera
Don't add the olives; use only one zucchini, and add asparagus,
green beans and peas; replace half a cup of the water with
half a cup of white wine; replace the tuna with 2 tablespoons
of toasted pine nuts; and replace the parsley with fresh basil.
Pasta
Puttanesca
Don't add the zucchini or oregano; add a teaspoon of capers
and ½ teaspoon chili flakes; replace the tuna with
4 chopped anchovy fillets added at the beginning of the cooking
process.
Chili
Shrimp Pasta
Don't add the zucchini, olives or oregano; add ½ teaspoon
chili flakes; replace the tuna with pre-cooked shrimp; stir
in a tablespoon of lemon juice at the end of cooking.
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