Tuna Chickpea Pasta Salad

This tuna chickpea pasta salad has all the rich and savory flavors of the Mediterranean 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 healthy version of traditional pasta salad.

What are the ingredients in this pasta salad?

• 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.

After cooking the butter, olive oil and capers, the butter will brown like this and then it's time to add the anchovies. They will melt into the sauce and leave behind a nice salty flavor in the sauce.

Can you use a different pasta in this salad?

Sure! There are many different pastas on the market you can use. 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.

I prefer to use a lower carb pasta such as chickpea or lentil. This recipe was inspired by Rachael Ray, who of course used regular pasta. However, I think these pastas taste great and if Bon Appetit thinks chickpea pasta is healthy and tastes delicious, that is good enough for me!

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.
• Heat butter and oil. 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.
• Serve with sliced onions on top.
• This pasta salad will keep 3 - 4 days in the refrigerator. My husband at this for lunch 3 days in a row. Like many pastas that have a sauce, it was more flavorful the next day.

If you love salad, you may want to try my Crab Louie salad. Please let me know in the comments below if you try these recipes! Your feedback lets me know what you'd like to see in the future.

Tuna Chickpea Pasta Salad

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• Author: Deb
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 5 cups 1x
• Category: Salad
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American

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Description

This easy pasta salad is made with canned tuna, lower carb chickpea pasta in a garlic and brown butter sauce.  It is so tasty and can be served warm or room temperature.

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Ingredients

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• 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 rd onion

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Instructions

1. Cook pasta as per package directions.  Drain, but save 1 cup of the pasta water for sauce.
2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter.  Cook for approximately two minutes until it starts to brown.
3. Add the anchovies, garlic, chili paste and capers.  Stir until anchovies melt into the butter and oil.
4. Add tuna to skillet heat through.
5. Reduce heat to low simmer and add the white wine.
6. Add cooked pasta, the 1 cup reserved pasta water, lemon juice and the chopped herbs to the tuna mixture in skillet.
7. Stir to coat everything with the sauce.
8. Serve tuna pasta salad with sliced onion.

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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 lower in carbohydrates.

** 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.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cup

Keywords: Tuna Chickpea Pasta Salad