You won’t regret trying out this spin on a classic Italian dish.
It is packed with flavour and takes no time at all to make, with minimal ingredients. Perfect for a midweek dinner.
We’ve used tuna instead of the classic bacon or ham in a carbonara which means less salt and a few healthy fats. It also provides protein and B vitamins of which are critical nutrients and great for your child’s brain development.
I love introducing flavour to our little one’s food and parmesan works brilliantly here, but if you wanted a more subtle flavour, you could switch it for ricotta.
Carbonara is best eaten on the day it’s made, although any leftovers can be kept in the fridge and eaten the next day. Cool and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking.
Tuna Carbonara
Ingredients
- 400 g dried spaghetti
- 4 large free-range eggs
- 2 tbsp parmesan cheese 30g or ricotta cheese
- 1 tin of tuna in springwater 145g drained
- 1 lemon juice and zest
- 100 g fresh or frozen peas
- 100 g baby spinach
Instructions
- Bring a large pan of unsalted water to a boil. Cook the pasta to the packet instructions.
- Crack the eggs into a small bowl and lightly beat them with a fork. Add the Tuna and cheese. Grate in some lemon zest and season with black pepper.
- When the pasta has 3 minutes to go, add in the peas and spinach. Set aside some of the cooking water and drain the pasta, spinach and peas and return to the pan.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the egg mixture, which should cook gently in the residual heat. Add some of the reserved pasta cooking water if needed to make it saucier. Squeeze over some lemon juice.
- Serve straight away.
Notes
With thanks to Katie McMahon for her help in designing this recipe.
