Tuna Pesto Pasta
This flavorful Tuna Pesto Pasta Salad is packed with protein and fiber, and comes together in just 20 minutes. Perfect for lunch, dinner, or a potluck!
Servings: 4
Calories: 342kcal
Ingredients
- 8 ounces pasta
- ½ cup pitted kalamata olives
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 English cucumber seedless
- 1 15-ounce can low-sodium chickpeas
- 1 6.7-ounce jar oil-packed tuna
- 1 6.7-ounce jar pesto sauce
- 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Heat water in a large saucepan, and throw in a teaspoon of salt to season the water.
- When water is boiling, add pasta and cook according to the package instructions. When pasta is done, reserve ¼ cup of the cooking liquid, then drain pasta and rinse with cool water.
- While water is heating or pasta is cooking, halve olives and cherry tomatoes.
- Chop cucumber into small chunks.
- Rinse and drain chickpeas.
- Drain tuna.
- Add pasta to a large mixing bowl and toss with pesto. Add reserved pasta water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if necessary, to create a silky sauce.
- Stir in olives, tomatoes, cucumber, and chickpeas.
- Use a fork to flake tuna into the bowl, stirring gently to combine.
- Stir in half of the feta cheese, and transfer to a serving bowl.
- Sprinkle the remaining feta on top to serve.
Notes
Storage Tips:
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can then serve it cold or reheat it gently just until warm. This pasta salad, like most pastas, does not freeze well. Expert Tips:
Reserving pasta water is a key trick for a good pasta sauce. The starch in it combines with the pasta sauce to really coat the noodles. It’s particularly helpful in this recipe because we ask you to run the cooked pasta under cold water, which removes some of the starch. That stops the pasta from cooking further and also cools it down. Store-bought pesto sauce varies in texture. If you find your pesto sauce is too dry, try stirring in some extra virgin olive oil. This is also a good solution if your pasta dries out after storing it in the refrigerator.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can then serve it cold or reheat it gently just until warm. This pasta salad, like most pastas, does not freeze well. Expert Tips:
Reserving pasta water is a key trick for a good pasta sauce. The starch in it combines with the pasta sauce to really coat the noodles. It’s particularly helpful in this recipe because we ask you to run the cooked pasta under cold water, which removes some of the starch. That stops the pasta from cooking further and also cools it down. Store-bought pesto sauce varies in texture. If you find your pesto sauce is too dry, try stirring in some extra virgin olive oil. This is also a good solution if your pasta dries out after storing it in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Calories: 342kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 604mg | Potassium: 519mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 843IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 185mg | Iron: 2mg
