Tuna pasta salad with green beans is a summer favorite. It's a simple, fresh, and tasty dish, perfect for those hot days. Like the Italian Rice Salad, this dish can be customized with various ingredients to suit your taste.
For seafood enthusiasts, I recommend this version with tuna in oil and green beans. It's an ideal dish to make ahead and store in the fridge, making it perfect for a quick lunch at home, in the office, at the beach, or even at a picnic with friends.
This tuna pasta salad with green beans is a quick and easy recipe. It's a refreshing dish made with simple yet flavorful ingredients.This dish is not only colorful and light but also provides a complete meal with carbohydrates, proteins, and vitamins.
In this recipe, you'll use green beans, cherry tomatoes, and tuna in oil, all dressed with high-quality extra virgin olive oil and flavored with spring onions and fresh basil.
While I used rigatoni, you can choose any short pasta that holds its shape well when cooked al dente. Learn how to make tuna pasta salad with green beans by following the step-by-step recipe below.
Ingredients
Prep Time: 20 Min (Including the time to boil the green beans) | Cook Time: 12 Min | Servings: 4
- 350 g (12 0z) of Rigatoni pasta
- 250 g (~9 oz) of fresh, ripe Cherry or Grape Tomato
- 150 g (~5 oz) of green beans
- 200 g (7 0z) of tuna in oil
- 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 10-12 leaves of fresh basil
- 1 small onion
- salt, to taste
Directions
Step 1) - To make Tuna Pasta Salad with Green Beans, start by cutting off the ends of the green beans. Wash them thoroughly and cook them in boiling water for about 10-15 minutes. They should be cooked but still crisp. Set them aside.
Step 2) - Meanwhile, cook the pasta in plenty of salted water. Drain when al dente and transfer to a large salad bowl. Season with 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil to prevent sticking. Toss well and allow to cool.
NOTE: If you are in a hurry and cannot wait to let the pasta cool, or if you think it is not al dente enough, run the pasta under cold water after draining to stop cooking. (See "How to Drain and Cool Pasta" below).
Step 3) - Finely slice the onion. And set aside. Next, rinse and dry the cherry tomatoes and cut them into halves or quarters.
NOTE: If you are afraid the onion will taste too strong or you want to make it more digestible, I recommend soaking the onion slices in cold water for about 15 minutes.
Step 4) - Now that you have all the ingredients ready, toss the tuna and green bean pasta salad. Add the cherry tomatoes and 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to the cold pasta and mix well. Then add the tuna, well squeezed out of its oil and broken up.
Step 5) - Finally, add the green beans, onion slices and basil leaves (chopped or whole). Mix well and season with salt to taste. Serve the tuna pasta salad with green beans immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
YOU MUST ALSO READ:
- Caprese Pasta Salad
- Farfalle Pasta Salad with cherry tomatoes
- pasta with Tuna and tomatoe sauce
- Tuna Stuffed Zucchini
- Pesto Lasagna with Green Beans and Potatoes
Storage
You can keep Pasta salad with tuna and green beans in the refrigerator for a maximum of 2 days in an airtight container. I do not recommend freezing.
Variations
Choosing Your Pasta: For this recipe, I used rigatoni, but you can easily swap it for farfalle, fusilli, penne, or any other short pasta you have on hand. Make sure to pick high-quality durum wheat pasta. It's important for the pasta in your salad to stay al dente, giving it a nice, firm texture.
Selecting Tuna: Opt for good quality tuna preserved in oil, ideally in glass jars. If you prefer, you can substitute the tuna with mackerel or salmon, also preserved in oil. The quality of the fish will greatly impact the overall flavor of the dish.
The Role of Onion: In Italian cuisine, the combination of oil-packed tuna and raw onion is a classic, often seen on pizzas too. Choose a mild, sweet onion. To make it easier to digest, soak it as suggested in the recipe. If you're not a fan of raw onion, you can skip it, but it does add a unique and special flavor to the dish.
Adding Green Beans: Green beans are crisp and flavorful, especially when fresh and tender in spring and summer. They are a great addition to pasta salad with tuna, making it more complete and satisfying. You can also sauté them with garlic, chili, and oil after boiling for an extra flavor boost.
Other Herbs: If you don't have fresh basil or don't enjoy it, you can replace it with oregano or chopped parsley. These herbs will still add a nice touch of flavor to your dish.
Additional Ingredients: Feel free to enhance this recipe with other ingredients you enjoy, but try not to overdo it. Keep the tuna and green beans as the main stars. Here are some suggestions to enrich the dish:
- Add 2 sliced hard-boiled eggs to make it richer and more nutritious.
- Include a few olives or capers for extra flavor.
- For more fish flavor, add 2-3 chopped anchovies in oil along with the tuna.
These tips and variations will help you create a delicious and well-balanced pasta salad that showcases the best of Italian flavors.
Tips
How to Drain and Cool the Pasta
Making a delicious pasta salad relies on both the quality of the ingredients and the way you cook and cool the pasta.
For this dish, cook the pasta until it's slightly firmer than usual, about 2 minutes less than the package directions.
If you have time, it's best not to cool the pasta by running it under cold water. Instead, drain it thoroughly and let it cool in a container. Add a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking.
Why is it better to cool the pasta at room temperature instead of with cold water? Cooling with cold water removes the starch layer on the pasta, which helps the dressings stick. Without this layer, the pasta can lose texture and flavor.
But if you're in a hurry, you can cool the pasta under cold water. Just make sure to drain it well and add a bit more salt to the cooking water than usual.
Recipe Card
Tuna Pasta Salad with Green Beans Recipe
Ingredients
- 350 g pasta - 12 oz
- 250 g fresh, ripe cherry or grape tomatoes - ~9 oz
- 150 g green beans - ~5 oz
- 200 g tuna in oil - 7 oz
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 10-12 leaves fresh basil
- 1 small onion
- salt - to taste
Instructions
- To make Tuna Pasta Salad with Green Beans, start by cutting off the ends of the green beans. Wash them thoroughly and cook them in boiling water for about 10-15 minutes. They should be cooked but still crisp. Set them aside.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta in plenty of salted water. Drain when al dente and transfer to a large salad bowl. Season with 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil to prevent sticking. Toss well and allow to cool.
- NOTE: If you are in a hurry and cannot wait to let the pasta cool, or if you think it is not al dente enough, run the pasta under cold water after draining to stop cooking. (See "How to Drain and Cool Pasta" below).
- Finely slice the onion. And set aside. Next, rinse and dry the cherry tomatoes and cut them into halves or quarters.
- NOTE: If you are afraid the onion will taste too strong or you want to make it more digestible, I recommend soaking the onion slices in cold water for about 15 minutes.
- Now that you have all the ingredients ready, toss the tuna and green bean pasta salad. Add the cherry tomatoes and 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to the cold pasta and mix well. Then add the tuna, well squeezed out of its oil and broken up.
- Finally, add the green beans, onion slices and basil leaves (chopped or whole). Mix well and season with salt to taste.
- Serve the tuna pasta salad with green beans immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
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