Tomato, Tuna and Garlic Spaghetti
トマトとツナとにんにくのスパゲティ
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
This is a simple, no-fuss pasta from the preschool snack menu: spaghetti tossed with juicy diced tomato, tuna and a spoonful of gently warmed garlic oil. The garlic is only heated until fragrant and the pasta is dressed off the heat, so the flavor stays soft and mild for young palates. We break the spaghetti into short lengths before boiling so little ones can manage it easily with a fork or spoon, and rinsing the pasta under cold water keeps it from clumping while it waits. Tuna and tomato are a pairing most children already know and like, which makes this an easy win at snack time.
Added. Open the recipe helper (bottom right) → ☰ Menu → 🛒 Shopping list to see the ingredients for your family size.
Printing uses the number of adults and children set under Ingredients, so set those first.
Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 37.5 gspaghetti
- 24.8 gtomato
- 18.8 gcanned tuna (in oil)
Seasonings
- 2 gvegetable oil
- 0.3 ggarlic paste (tube)Grated garlic sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh garlic for its aroma, but for cooking at home Aoi says the tube works just fine. Tube pastes often contain added salt, oil and other ingredients, so check the label. Substitute: Use freshly grated garlic in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
- 0.2 gsalt
- 0 gdried parsley
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- garlic paste (tube) (にんにくチューブ)
- Grated garlic sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh garlic for its aroma, but for cooking at home Aoi says the tube works just fine. Tube pastes often contain added salt, oil and other ingredients, so check the label. Substitute: Use freshly grated garlic in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
Directions
Video is in Japanese and may show a different version of this dish (other ingredients or steps). Follow the ingredients and steps on this page, especially when cooking for allergies.
- 1
Break the spaghetti into thirds, boil it, then cool it under running water and drain well. Toss with a little oil (not included in the ingredient amounts) to keep the strands from sticking together.
- 2
Blanch and peel the tomato, then cut it into small dice. Drain the oil from the canned tuna.
- 3
Put the oil and garlic in a pot over low heat. Once warmed through, turn off the heat, add the spaghetti from step 1, the tomato and tuna from step 2, the salt and the dried parsley, and toss to combine.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 202.5 kcal | 405 kcal | 202.5 kcal |
| Protein | 8.3 g | 16.5 g | 8.3 g |
| Fat | 6.8 g | 13.5 g | 6.8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 28.8 g | 57.6 g | 28.8 g |
| Fiber | 2.4 g | 4.8 g | 2.4 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.3 g | 0.6 g | 0.3 g |
| Calcium | 10.5 mg | 21 mg | 10.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.8 mg | 1.5 mg | 0.8 mg |
| Potassium | 174 mg | 348 mg | 174 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 202.5 kcal | 8.3 g | 6.8 g | 28.8 g | 2.4 g | 0.3 g | 10.5 mg | 0.8 mg | 174 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 405 kcal | 16.5 g | 13.5 g | 57.6 g | 4.8 g | 0.6 g | 21 mg | 1.5 mg | 348 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
