Italian tuna balls

Name: Italian tuna balls
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: European, American, Italian, Mediterranean
Ingredients: 2 cans tuna in oil; Small handful of pinenuts; Freshly grated zest of 1 lemon; Small handful parsley leaves; 50g fresh breadcrumbs; 1 egg beaten; 400g spaghetti; 500g jar pasta sauce

3 steps

Prep:5minCook:15min

A superhealthy twist on a family favourite that can be served with spaghetti or squashed flat and cooked as burgers

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 12:01:14 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Great

Glycemic Index

Moderate

Glycemic Load

High

Nutrition per serving

Calories711.4 kcal (36%)

Total Fat18.6 g (27%)

Carbs96.4 g (37%)

Sugars9.9 g (11%)

Protein38 g (76%)

Sodium947.4 mg (47%)

Fiber7.7 g (27%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ingredients

4 servings

2 canstuna in oil

pinenuts

1lemon

freshly grated zest of

50gbreadcrumbs

400gspaghetti

500gpasta sauce

Instructions

Step 1

Flake the tuna into a bowl, then tip in the pine nuts, lemon zest, parsley, breadcrumbs and egg. Season and mix together with your hands until completely combined. Roll the mix into 12 walnut-size balls. Put a large pan of salted water on to boil, then cook the spaghetti according to pack instructions.

Step 2

Heat a little of the tuna oil in a large non-stick frying pan, then fry the tuna balls for 5 mins, turning every minute or so until completely golden. Drain on kitchen paper. Heat the tomato sauce, then toss together with the pasta and tuna balls.

To make it into burgers:

Step 3

Tex-Mex burgers: Tip the drained tuna, breadcrumbs and egg into a bowl with a handful fajita seasoning and a small handful chopped coriander. Mould the mix into 4 burgers, cook as above and serve in buns with your favourite burger toppings.