One of the easiest and most economical pasta salads to make is a tuna pasta salad. Not only is tuna America’s favorite fish, it is high in Omega 3 vitamins, can be bought canned in bulk, and can easily be incorporated into many recipes for lunches, salads, or dinners. Canned tuna comes either flaked or solid, and in oil or water. Choose the water packed tuna to keep the fat content down. By choosing a multi grain or whole grain pasta you will add fiber and flavor to this tuna pasta salad recipe (or choose tri-color pasta for more eye appeal), and the green beans add colour and a great crunchy texture. If you have a favorite homemade Italian salad dressing recipe, by all means use it; otherwise choose an organic low-fat Italian dressing. The fresh herbs really make this an outstanding light summer salad, but you can substitute in dried herbs in a pinch. This is a great make ahead pasta salad as the pasta noodles and vegetables can be prepared the night before and the dressing can be added just prior to serving.
Ingredients:
8 ounces of pasta
8 ounces of green beans cut into 2 inch pieces
1 medium red onion thinly sliced
2/3 cup organic low-fat Italian salad dressing
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 6 1/2 ounce can of tuna packed in water, drained and flaked
1/4 cup sliced black olives
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
Method:
Cook pasta without salt. About 5 minutes prior to removing pasta from the pot, add your green beans. Drain the pasta and beans in a colander and rinse immediately under cold water. In a large serving bowl mix Italian dressing, parsley, and chopped basil. Mix well. Add drained pasta and beans to dressing mixture. Add cherr tomatoes, tuna, and olives. Toss to coat well and garnish with basil if desired. Serve immediately.
This recipe makes 6 servings with 144 calories per serving. There are 18 grams of carbs, 11 grams of protein, 326 grams of sodium, 14 mgs of cholesterol and 4 grams of fat in each serving.