Quick and Healthy Pasta Salad
Pasta salad is one of my favorite things to make. Pasta salad combines two of my favorite things — pasta and vegetables! It’s an easy and flexible dish that can be a great snack and easy vegetarian or pescatarian meal. While you really can’t go wrong with what you add to the recipe, I think the basic tenants of a good pasta salad revolve around peas and corn. Scroll to for my Colorful Pasta Salad recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry pasta
- 12 oz canned tuna in water
- 4 large celery stalks
- 1/2 cup diced carrots
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1/4 cup diced white onion
- 1 cup chopped spinach
- 2-3 tablespoons of mayonnaise
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Set water to boil on the stove for the pasta. I used whole wheat and multicolor spiral pasta, but you could use any type you choose.
While the water starts to boil, prepare the vegetables. Dice the white onion, celery, carrots, and spinach and add them to a large mixing bowl. Add the frozen peas and corn, as well as the tuna, to the mixing bowl and incorporate the ingredients. Flake the tuna to make sure it mixes evenly.
Once the pasta is done boiling, drain it and simply pour the hot pasta onto the vegetable and tuna mixture in the mixing bowl. Mix it all up and check the frozen peas and corn to make sure they thawed (the hot pasta should take care of that).
Add a dollop or two of mayonnaise (~2 tablespoons) to the bowl and mix. If it looks like you need more, then add another spoonful. Pro tip: you can always add more mayonnaise, but you can’t remove it if you add too much! I recommend adding it isn increments.
I like to use mayonnaise, but if you’re not a fan of the condiment, you could try a mayo substitute that you prefer.
Top the mixture off with some salt and pepper. Set it in the refrigerator to chill and you’re all set!
Modifications and Tweaks to My Colorful Pasta Salad
Like I said, one of my favorite parts of pasta salad recipes is how easy it is to tweak them and personalize them. This Colorful Pasta Salad recipe is no different. After preparing this recipe, I realized that diced bell peppers would be a great addition. Maybe even diced cucumber! Next time, I think I will try these additions.
Colorful Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry pasta
- 12 oz canned tuna in water
- 4 large celery stalks
- 1/2 cup diced carrots
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1/4 cup diced white onion
- 1 cup chopped spinach
- 2-3 tbsp mayonnaise
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Set water to boil on the stove for the pasta.
- While the water starts to boil, prepare the vegetables. Dice the white onion, celery, carrots, and spinach and add them to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the frozen peas and corn, as well as the tuna, to the mixing bowl and incorporate the ingredients. Flake the tuna to make sure it mixes evenly.
- Drain the boiled pasta and pour the hot pasta onto the vegetable and tuna mixture in the mixing bowl.
- Mix it all up and check the frozen peas and corn to make sure they thawed (the hot pasta should take care of that).
- Add a dollop or two of mayonnaise (~2 tablespoons) to the bowl and mix. If it looks like you need more, then add another spoonful.
- Top the mixture off with some salt and pepper.
- Refrigerate the pasta salad until chilled.
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