Easy Tuna Pasta Salad

Lizzie-Babette's Note:

We make this easy pasta salad a lot in the summer - it's delicious at room temp or cold on hot days, and there's no mayo in it, so it travels well, too. We also make this during the winter, to remember what summer tasted like. It makes a great light lunch or dinner. Adapted from a Gourmet recipe.

• Total Time: 40 mins
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 2

• ½ lb penne (or rotini, radiatore, bowtie, etc)
• 4 cloves garlic , minced
• 1 lemon , for juice and zest
• ¼ cup packed fresh basil leaf
• 1 (6 ounce) can tuna in olive oil , not drained (or 6-ounces tuna in water, plus approximately 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil of your choice)
• tomato , chopped
• 2 scallions , chopped
• parmesan cheese , grated or shredded (optional)
• hot sauce or Tabasco sauce , to taste (optional)
• toasted pignolis or walnuts (optional)
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Cook pasta to al dente.
2. While the pasta cooks, finely grate enough lemon zest to measure 1 tablespoon and squeeze 1 teaspoon juice (or more, to taste) Mince garlic.
3. Cut basil into thin strips.
4. Chop scallions and tomatoes.
5. Toast and chop nuts.
6. In a large bowl toss together all ingredients except for pasta.
7. Check and correct seasoning, lemon juice, and amount of olive oil.
8. When pasta is done, add it to bowl and toss with combined ingredients.
9. Check and correct seasonings again.

Reviews

[Bill Hilbrich]

I will definitely try this recipe again. If you do not actually toast the walnuts .. I threw them on to the surface of a hot cast iron frying pan and pushed them around until the oil started to emerge .. prep time is down to 10 minutes and that can be done while the pasta is cooking. I cut back on the pasta to just a handful, and treated the meal as a Solo Dinner.

[Nat Da Brat]

Very nice combination of flavours. used one 375g box of whole wheat penne,2 chopped tomatoes and about 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan, 1/2 cup toasted walnuts and a dash of Frank's Red Hot sauce along with rest of ingredients stated. thanks Beth for a salad that I will most definetly make quite often.

[evelyn/athens]

This was so delicious. I loved the very garlicky dressing and I added lots and lots of toasted pine nuts. This is a salad/meal, and some nice crusty bread and fruit salad rounded off a delicious, healthy meal. Thanks.