Mediterranean Cod with Pesto Pasta
Pesto-crusted cod and whole wheat spaghetti, connected by roasted tomatoes that do double duty as both a side and the sauce.
Three halved tomatoes go onto the baking sheet next to the fish, cut side up, drizzled with olive oil. Fifteen minutes at 200°C later, they come out soft, concentrated, and ready to collapse into the pasta with the remaining pesto and a splash of cooking water. The cod flakes apart on its own. The cheese goes on last.
669 calories, 38 grams of protein, 10 grams of fiber, and the whole thing is done in 20 minutes. One baking sheet, one pot of water, and dinner that tastes like it took three times as long.
Ingredients
- spaghetti, whole wheat 3 ounces
- cod fillet (frozen) 1
- pesto 2 teaspoons
- tomatoes 3
- olive oil 1 tablespoon
- grated cheese 1 ounce
Method
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Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C).
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Cook the spaghetti according to package directions.
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Halve the tomatoes.
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Place the cod on a baking sheet and spread half of the pesto over the fish. Arrange the tomatoes next to the cod, cut side up. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle lightly with olive oil.
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Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
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Drain the pasta, reserving about ½ cup of the cooking water.
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Toss the pasta with the roasted tomatoes and remaining pesto, adding a splash of the reserved cooking water as needed to loosen the sauce.
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Sprinkle with cheese and serve with the baked cod.
Garnish with fresh basil for a brighter, more aromatic finish. A little lemon zest over the cod right out of the oven lifts the whole plate. If you like your tomatoes slightly blistered and sweeter, leave them in for an extra 2–3 minutes.
Cooking tomatoes in olive oil dramatically increases how much lycopene your body absorbs. A clinical trial found that when subjects ate tomatoes cooked with olive oil for five days, their plasma lycopene levels rose 82% compared to baseline. Without the oil, there was no significant change. The heat breaks open tomato cells; the olive oil gives the released lycopene a fat medium it needs to cross into the bloodstream.
Fielding et al., 2005Behind this recipe
Can I use fresh cod instead of frozen?
Yes. Fresh cod works the same way. Frozen fillets are convenient because they go straight from the freezer to the baking sheet without thawing, and they hold their shape well during roasting. If using fresh, reduce the baking time by 2–3 minutes and check for flakiness early.
Why roast the tomatoes with olive oil instead of adding them raw?
Flavor and absorption. Roasting concentrates the tomatoes and caramelizes their edges, which builds a richer sauce when you toss them with the pasta. On the science side, a clinical trial found that cooking tomatoes with olive oil increased lycopene absorption by 82%. The heat breaks open the tomato cells, and the olive oil gives lycopene the fat medium it needs to enter the bloodstream. Raw tomatoes with no fat deliver far less.
Is 38 grams of protein enough for a dinner?
For most people, 38 grams is well within the range the body can use in a single meal. Research has shown the old idea of a 30-gram cap per sitting is a myth. The protein here comes from cod (lean, fast-digesting) plus smaller contributions from whole wheat pasta and cheese.
Read the full evidence review
