Servings:
4-6
Ready In:
1 Hour
Type of Recipe:
Pasta
Good For:
Lunch, Dinner
Tuna Meatballs & Spaghetti Squash Puttanesca
This recipe holds a special place in my heart (and maybe even special powers!) because it landed me a job as a private chef for an amazing family on a lovely private estate. I dare you to make this pasta with all the local ingredients you can find – from the tomato and fresh herb sauce to the tuna – the possibilities are endless!
I was originally inspired to make this recipe because of how much I loved a local seasoned oil company during my time in Boise, Idaho – some of my favorites were the garlic, Meyer lemon, and blood orange oils. YUM!
The meatballs alone would make a nice snack, lunch or dinner. But paired with my spaghetti squash puttanesca – now that’s amoré.
Ingredients
24 oz. wild tuna steak, quartered (fresh or frozen)
1 egg (or 2 egg whites)
½ cup walnuts pieces
1 small pack fresh basil leaves (1.5 ounces)
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. Celtic salt
Freshly squeezed juice from 1 lemon
Zest of one lemon
—
4 cups cooked spaghetti squash
—
32 oz. local salsa or spaghetti sauce (or Muir Glenn tomato sauce + fire roasted tomatoes)
4 tbsp. capers with a little caper juice
½ cup pitted kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
1 tsp. granulated garlic powder
1 tsp. anchovy paste
Dash of monk fruit sweetener
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Prepare ingredients as suggested above. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Step 2
In a food processor, add all the meatball ingredients. Pulse and scrape until almost smooth. Scoop 20-24 little meatballs. Place in a single layer on a baking dish. Chill for 1 hour.
Step 3
Clean, quarter, remove seeds and place spaghetti squash in a 10″ cake pan or baking dish. Remove from oven and drain any water from pan. Let cool for about 15 minutes.
Step 4
Fork-pull and scrape the squash strands directly into bowls.
Step 5
In a medium-large sauce pot, add all your puttanesca sauce ingredients. Bring to a low rolling simmer. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
Step 6
Gently drop meatballs into sauce. Do not stir. Cover and cook for another 20 minutes.
Step 7
Stir sauce. Ladle evenly over spaghetti squash-filled pasta bowls. Enjoy!
Note:
The best way to pull squash from their shells is allowing them to cool completely, and then placing a pot holder or paper towel in the palm of one hand, and beginning to fork-scrape the squash strands directly into bowls.
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