A quick and healthy tuna pasta salad recipe that’s ready to eat in just 15 minutes making it a tasty easy midweek dinner for summer.
How to make pasta salad healthy
Italian style food is always my go-to when trying to eat healthier. Making pasta salad using wholegrain pasta or 50/50 pasta will burn more slowly so it’ll keep you full for longer.
When dressing pasta salad try to steer clear of mayonnaise or creamy dressings as they add loads of fat and calories.
How to cool the pasta to make pasta salad
Once the pasta is cooked to your liking just drain as usual in a colander and then run the pasta under a cold tap – turning the pasta over in the colander until it’s all cooled. This is the quickest way to cool the pasta ready for salad without it turning sticky and stodgy.
How to make tuna pasta salad
Tuna pasta salad is such a simple healthy meal – packed with protein from the tuna and loads of fresh veggies. We use a simple lemon and olive oil dressing to keep in tasty but free from loads of additional calories.
Super easy tasty pasta salad
Ingredients
- 100g dried 50/50 pasta - I use this from Napolina
- 145g tinned tuna
- 5cm piece of cucumber sliced into half moons
- 12 baby plum tomatoes - halved
- handful of pitted black olives
- 1 avocado - peeled, halved and sliced
- juice of a lemon
- small bunch of flat leaf parsley finely chopped
- olive oil to drizzle
Instructions
- Put the pasta into a large pan of boiling salted water - add just a swirl of olive oil to stop it sticking - bring the pan back to the boil then reduce the heat and cook for around 10 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water to cool the pasta fast.
- Whilst the pasta cooks get on with the preparing the rest of the salad ingredients.
- Use half the lemon juice to mix into the tuna and the other half to pour over the avocado to stop it from discolouring.
- Toss the cold pasta together with the tuna, cucumber, tomatoes, olive and avocado.
- Divide between two plates, scatter over the chopped parsley and drizzle with oil to suit your taste.
How to make tuna pasta salad your way
- Use wholegrain or spelt pasta instead of 50/50
- Switch the tuna for salmon or prawns
- Make a pesto salad dressing.
How to serve Tuna and Avocado Pasta Salad
- Perfect as a quick and easy healthy dinner.
- Pack into lunch boxes and take to work.
- Lovely spring/summer laid back lunch.
More pasta salad recipes for you to try
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