Less than 300 cals per portion for this pasta dish! Its surprising how calorific pasta can be, but if you use just 50g of pasta (dry weight) rather than the usually recommended 75g (or even 100g) per person, this cuts the calories considerably. I honestly find that this amount is more than enough. I didn’t cheat on the amounts for the sake of the photographs. The plate shown is precisely 50g (dry weight) of spaghetti. I used Napolini brand spaghetti. Without added olives each portion is 275 calories.
Ingredients (serves 2)
100g spaghetti (356 cals)
½ olive oil (60 cals)
½ medium onion, finely chopped (22 cals)
1 clove of garlic, grated (3 cals)
55g (drained weight) of good quality tinned tuna *(60 cals)
200g tinned chopped tomatoes (40 cals)
A splash of Thai fish sauce (negligible cals)
½ tsp dried Italian herbs (negligible cals)
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Green herbs to garnish (negligible cals)
Sliced black olives (optional, allow 6 cals per olive)
*Packed in brine or spring water not oil.
Method
Ingredients (serves 2)
100g spaghetti (356 cals)
½ olive oil (60 cals)
½ medium onion, finely chopped (22 cals)
1 clove of garlic, grated (3 cals)
55g (drained weight) of good quality tinned tuna *(60 cals)
200g tinned chopped tomatoes (40 cals)
A splash of Thai fish sauce (negligible cals)
½ tsp dried Italian herbs (negligible cals)
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Green herbs to garnish (negligible cals)
Sliced black olives (optional, allow 6 cals per olive)
*Packed in brine or spring water not oil.
Method
- Heat the oil in a pan and add the chopped onion. Fry gently until translucent and softened. Add the grated garlic, the tomatoes, Thai fish sauce and the dried herbs, mixing well.
- Increase the heat and allow the sauce to simmer for at least 15 minutes until thickened and reduced. Add salt and ground black pepper, to taste.
- Cook the spaghetti in salted boiling water, to your liking.
- Add the tuna and olives (if using) to the sauce and heat through. Don’t be tempted to stir it too much as you want the tuna to stay in small chunks and not turn mushy.
- Add a little of the pasta water to the sauce. Drain the spaghetti and add to the sauce.
- Serve scattered with a few green herbs. Basil would be a good choice.
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