I decided to make this pasta dish over the weekend and both Keith and I gave it two thumbs up!
It is really a nice light pasta dish that is perfect for the warm weather of summer. Paired with a green side salad and glass of white wine, this recipe will hopefully become one of your favorites!
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Rigatoni Pasta Salad
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis
Ingredients
- 1 pound rigatoni pasta
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1/4 cup
- 1 medium red onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 (5-6 ounce) cans Italian tuna in oil, drained
- 1 pint (2 cups) cherry tomatoes, halved
- 12 ounces frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and quartered
- 1 small jar of capers, rinsed and drained
- 2 tablespoons chopped dried thyme leaves
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.
2. In a 14-inch skillet, heat 1/4 cup oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the tuna to the skillet and, using a fork, break into chunks. Add the cherry tomatoes, artichoke hearts, capers, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to soften, about 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Add the pasta, the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil, and the parsley. Toss until all the ingredients are coated, adding a little pasta water, if needed, to thin out the sauce. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer the pasta to a serving bowl and serve warm or at room temperature.
Enjoy!
*Note: We used two cans of tuna in this last batch and will up it to three cans next time as we rarely eat tuna and my husband loves his protein!
* To make this recipe vegan, I would sub the tuna for sliced mushrooms and it would be delicious!
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This pasta is even better the next day when reheated again or just eating it cold. It is healthy and a fun new pasta recipe I hope you and your family enjoy as much as we did! Plus it is so easy and quick to throw together!
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This recipe looks awesome! Did you use whole grain pasta? Also do you think you could use light tuna in it?
Thanks for sharing!!
Yes, always use whole wheat pasta (or never use regular since there are some brown rice pastas and other healthy options).
wow this looks delicious! I would totally make this but I am trying to stay away from carbs right now… I can’t lose these last five preggo pounds for the life of me. Its driving me nuts! I love tuna in pasta tho and I am salivating at your pictures!! mmmm
I couldn’t lose the last one pound for the life of me and then at about 3 months, I was able to lose it plus five more. I read that losing weight from breast feeding usually kicks in sometime between 3-6 months and I totally believe it since I haven’t changed up anything that I have been doing!
This looks delicious!!!!!
I am so glad I read your blog today! I’m always looking for pasta recipes that are dairy free. So many of them are so boring once you cut out the cheese or creamy sauce. I think I’m going to send Max out on a grocery run so we can make this tonight.
I read about your recreation of it and it looked so good! I’m glad you and Max enjoyed it!
I am a sucker for pasta, this looks so good.
It was really really good! We love a good pasta dish in our house and this is definitely up there with my favorites!