This Tuna Chickpea Pasta salad has rich and savory flavors and is simmered in a garlic and herb brown butter sauce. It is an easy meal to put together for lunch or dinner and can be served warm or at room temperature. The chickpea pasta makes this a high fiber, high protein version of traditional pasta salad.
This is one of those recipes where I don't have to try to convince myself that pasta is really good for me, ha, ha. Because in this case, using chickpea pasta really works in this recipe. Compared to regular wheat pasta, it is higher in protein and fiber and tastes great.
It also holds it's shape and absorbs the dressing really well without it getting mushy.
Main dish salads are perfect for a hearty lunch or brunch or light supper. Some other salads with a variety of proteins to try is my Crab Louie or Shrimp Louie Salad, 4 Bean Salad or Julienne Salad.
Ingredients
- canned tuna, preferably sustainable, pole caught, is a low fat, high protein fish that is high in omega-3.
- chickpea pasta- this is a high protein, lower carb, gluten free pasta. I used the Banza brand. They state that each serving has 2x the protein, 3x the fiber, and ½ the net carbs of traditional pasta.
- olive oil, butter, garlic, red pepper, chili paste, anchovy filets, white wine and lemon are all the ingredients for a flavorful brown butter sauce
- herbs, capers and onion are added to the salad and give it a fresh and light salty taste.
Can you use a different pasta in this salad?
Sure! There are many different pastas on the market you can use. You can use regular pasta with gluten or a lentil pasta. I would suggest not using a smaller size such as a ditalini or elbow macaroni. You want a hearty pasta such as rotini or penne so the sauce coats all the nooks and crannies of the the pasta.
However, I think this chickpea pasta taste great. The trick is to bite into a piece of the cooked pasta and test it to make sure you don't overcook it and make it mushy.
How to make tuna chickpea pasta salad?
- Cook pasta in salted boiling water according to package directions. No need to cook chickpea pasta 'al dente'. It will be a bit more chewy than regular pasta, so the extra cooking time will help keep it moist. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water.
Make the Brown Butter Sauce
- After cooking the butter, olive oil and capers, the butter will brown like this.
- When the butter is browned, add anchovies, garlic, chili paste and capers. Bring to a simmer and mix in the tuna and white wine.
- Stir in the cooked pasta, reserved pasta water, lemon juice and herbs and heat thoroughly. Taste the sauce/dressing and add a bit more lemon juice or seasonings if desired.
- Serve with sliced onions on top.
- I think the salad tastes best at room temperature or slightly warm. Straight from the fridge is not as flavorful.
- If you make the salad ahead of time, remove from the refrigerator about an hour before serving and stir well.
If you would prefer a different dressing, Lemon Vinaigrette would go really well. Or you may prefer a creamy dressing like Creamy Garlic Dressing.
Recipe Testing Tips
- Slightly undercook the pasta, (aim for firm al dente) since it can overcook very quickly. Also, it will become a bit softer once it sits in the dressing. It is very important to rinse it with cold water right after cooking to stop the cooking process. That will also help it hold up better in the salad.
- Since chickpea pasta absorbs dressings very well, you may need to add more right before serving or with leftovers the next day.
- I suggest using an oil-packed tuna and not draining it completely. A little bit extra oil will help it the salad stay moist.
- Reserve some dressing for adding right before serving if needed.
- This pasta salad will keep 3 - 4 days in the refrigerator. My husband ate this for lunch 3 days in a row. Like many pastas that have a sauce, it was more flavorful the next day.
You will also want to try one of these other delicious salads:
Tuna Chickpea Pasta Salad
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 5 cups 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Description
This easy tuna salad with chickpea pasta is made with canned tuna, chickpea pasta in a garlic and brown butter sauce. It is so tasty and can be served warm or room temperature.
Ingredients
- 8 oz. chickpea pasta*
- 2 tsp. salt
- 2 TB olive oil
- 4 TB butter
- 7 anchovy filets
- 4 sliced garlic cloves or 2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 TB chili paste
- 3 TB capers, drained
- 6 oz can sustainable tuna, drained*
- ½ cup white wine
- ¼ lemon juice
- ½ cup chopped fresh herbs-I used parsley, oregano, thyme and sage
- 1 tsp. celery salt
- ½ thinly sliced red onion
Instructions
- Cook pasta as per package directions. Drain, but save 1 cup of the pasta water for sauce.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter. Cook for approximately two minutes until it starts to brown.
- Add the anchovies, garlic, chili paste and capers. Stir until anchovies melt into the butter and oil.
- Add tuna to skillet heat through.
- Reduce heat to low simmer and add the white wine.
- Add cooked pasta, the 1 cup reserved pasta water, lemon juice and the chopped herbs to the tuna mixture in skillet.
- Stir to coat everything with the sauce.
- Serve tuna pasta salad with sliced onion.
Notes
* You can use a different type of pasta if you prefer. I rarely eat pasta but when I do, I prefer chickpea or lentil pastas. They are much higher fiber and higher in protein
** Some brands that offer pole-caught, sustainable tuna are: Wild Planet, Safe Catch, Blue Harbor, American Tuna and tuna sold at Trader Joe's stores.
*This pasta salad is best served at room temperature.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
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