Tuna Salad
Prep time: 10 minutes / Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
320g fusilli pasta
1 tbsp. oil
400g tuna, drained
1 red onion, peeled & finely chopped
1 yellow pepper, finely chopped
250g cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
METHOD:
Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and cook the pasta following the manufacturer’s instructions. Once the pasta is cooked, drain well in a colander and refresh with cold water (pour cold water on top of the pasta while in the colander until it cools down enough that will stop cooking). Drizzle some oil on the pasta and mix well to prevent it sticking.
Prepare all the vegetables: all vegetables used for salads should be thoroughly washed in cold water before using. The size to cut the vegetables into is completely up to you & your family’s liking but ideally you should not need a knife to eat a salad so bite size pieces suits best.
2. Peel & finely chop the red onion.
3. Deseed the pepper & finely chop.
4. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half.
Feel free to add any other vegetables that you have available, tinned sweetcorn & jar roasted peppers are also a great addition. This is a basic recipe and you can add or substitute vegetables to suit your taste.
5. Wash & finely chop the parsley.
6. Mix the pasta, vegetables, drained tuna & parsley together and serve. If you would like to serve the salad with a dressing, look in the tips for ideas.
TIPS:
✓ French dressing or vinaigrette: very simple to do, standard proportions are 1 part vinegar to 3 parts oil, for example: 1 tbsp of vinegar + 3tbsp of oil, then just mix together. You can change the flavours depending on the oil & vinegar you use. Traditionally made with white wine vinegar & olive oil but feel free to experiment with different vinegars and oils to find your favourite (or use whatever you have in your cupboards). You can add chopped fresh herbs to the vinaigrette to make it a herb one, crushed garlic to make it a garlic vinaigrette. Add a bit of mustard & honey to make it a honey & mustard vinaigrette, a people pleaser with the sweetness of the honey. The best way to make & store vinaigrettes is in jars. Add all the ingredients to a jar, close with the lid, give it a good shake and, voila, ready to use & store in the fridge.
✓ Lemon dressing: as the vinaigrette but using lemon instead of vinegar. You can then add herbs, garlic, mustard & honey like above. This lemon dressing is ideal for this tuna salad and is a lovely staple to keep at all times in a jar in the fridge, especially yummy over grilled vegetables, fish or chicken – super handy in BBQ season.
✓ You can always use mayonnaise for a pasta salad dressing. You can keep it plain or you can also add some herbs to it, a squeeze of lemon or some garlic (to make garlic mayo /aioli). Choosing the light mayonnaise is always a good option if you are trying to cut down in calories. Alternatively mix some fat free Greek yoghurt with your mayo to lower the fat content – a great way to still get the mayo taste but with lower calories.
✓ Yoghurt dressing: 150g Greek/natural yoghurt (ideally low/no fat if you are trying to cut down in calories) + 1tsp mustard + 1tsp vinegar + 1- 2tsp honey + salt & pepper. You can also add chopped herbs, crushed garlic or finely chopped onion. This dressing is especially good with lettuce based salads.
✓ Switch things around and make a chicken & pasta salad instead. Use cooked chicken (leftovers from your roast are great), chopped to bite size pieces. If you are using chicken and you have an open jar of pesto in the fridge use it as dressing, it will be yummy. Alternatively, chickpeas or other tinned beans would be a great addition to this dish! They are full of protein and are nice and cheap, they also taste delicious!
✓ Make it gluten free by using gluten free pasta. Otherwise, you can make it with rice instead of pasta or even with potatoes (I would recommend baby new potatoes, boiled and cut in half).
✓ Great recipe to get the children involved, let them choose what vegetables they want and let them prepare their own salads (always under adult supervision, especially with the chopping/cutting of veg)
✓ Lovely summer recipe, use whatever vegetables are in season, they tend to be cheaper and taste better. Great UK grown summer produce perfect for salads: lettuce, asparagus, peas, pepper, radishes, spinach, spring onions, watercress, beetroot, carrots, cucumber & sweetcorn.
✓ Great dish to prep ahead and keep in the fridge, perfect for picnics, BBQs and packed lunches. Make sure to store it in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep for up to 2 days.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
Kcal 442.67
Fat 5.03g
Saturates 0.72g
Carbs 64.50g
Sugars 0g
Fibre 4.33g
Protein 34.13g
Salt 0.85g
Nutrition per serving, based on 4 servings per recipe with no added salt:
Pasta is a great carbohydrate, which means that as part of a healthy diet it can provide us with energy. To give this recipe a nutritious boost try making the salad with wholewheat pasta! This is high in fibre that will keep you feeling full for a longer amount of time and it contains more nutrients. This is fantastic for a healthy gut!
Oil – the best oils to use in this dish are vegetable oil, olive oil, or rapeseed oil. All of these are high in healthy fats, which are very important for our bodies. Using these oils in the correct amounts have been shown to be good for our hearts and blood pressure. It may also have protective effects against other diseases too, alongside antioxidant effects!
Tuna – fish is a great thing to incorporate into a healthy diet! Especially oily fish such as Tuna. It is a great source of protein, and healthy fats (such as Omega-3). Tinned tuna is a great option as it keeps for a long time and is a convenient / cheap way to get nutrients into your diet! Just make sure to check that the Tuna is from a sustainable source!
Vegetables – these contain lots of different nutrients, and the more you can eat the better! All these vegetables have benefits on the body and are a great and essential part of a healthy diet. Make sure to load up on these!
Yellow pepper – this is packed with vitamins alongside fibre, folate, and iron. In this dish you could consider using different coloured peppers too. Red peppers have been on the vine longest and therefore have lots more vitamin C!
Tomatoes – alongside being delicious, these fruits are also incredibly nutritious! They are full of vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C, K and potassium. They are low in calories and a great source of fibre. They also have antioxidant effects!
Parsley – this a flavoursome herb to add to dishes which is full of minerals and vitamins.
Onions – these are members of the nightshade family which are anti-inflammatory and have been shown to reduce levels of cholesterol in our bodies, helping with high blood pressure and protecting against disease.
