My daughter, like my husband, is a big fan of tuna salad. Instead of the typical mayo-boiled egg version I decided to make her a veggie filled tuna salad for lunch this week. I cooked and steamed the veggies so they were all small toddler friendly sizes and easy to chew. But if you like crunch feel free to add them raw! I also chose to use veggie pasta in a mixed variety of bite size shapes.
This salad is colorful and flavor packed and was a hit with my future foodie Ava!
Try making it this spring for your kiddos lunch or a picnic or potluck!
Ingredients:
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1 small crown of broccoli, steamed and chopped into small florets
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1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
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1/2 red pepper, seeded and diced
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1 cup carrots, steamed and chopped
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2-3oz can sliced black olives, drained
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6.4oz package chunk light tuna in water, drained
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12 oz cooked pasta, I like bite size varieties of veggie pasta
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1 green onion, diced
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1/4 cup Greek yogurt
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1/4 cup Sour cream
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1 tbsp. Mayo
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1 tbsp. Parmesan, grated
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1 tbsp. olive oil
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salt/pepper, to taste
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Additional grated Parmesan and chopped green onions, for garnish
*You can only use Greek yogurt and omit the sour cream and mayo in the dressing if you’d like but I enjoy the flavor of all three mixed together.
Directions:
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In a skillet over medium heat, sauté onions and red peppers with olive oil until softened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
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In a large bowl combine cooked veggies: steamed broccoli and carrots and sautéed onions and peppers.
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Mix in black olives then toss with drained pasta.
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Add 6.4oz package of drained tuna and mix well.
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Cover and refrigerate while you make the dressing.
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For the dressing: mix together Greek Yogurt, mayo, and sour cream until smooth.
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Add 1 tbsp. Parmesan and 1 diced green onion. Season with salt and pepper.
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Remove bowl from fridge and mix in dressing until creamy. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
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Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
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Garnish with additional chopped green onions and grated Parmesan right before serving.
Cook pasta according to package directions and drain. I love using colorful (and good for you!) veggie pasta in many of my recipes.
Steam a small crown of broccoli until tender, then remove the stem and chop the florets small.
Also steam 1 cup chopped carrots until fork tender, about 15-20 minutes.
(I steam the broccoli and carrots together. Feel free to add any other veggies like asparagus or green beans)
In a skillet add olive oil and heat over medium. Add diced onions and red peppers and cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Mix all cooked veggies together in a bowl then add sliced black olives.
Next mix in cooked and drained veggie pasta.
Use packaged tuna of your choice but I like the large packages of Chunk Light Tuna in water.
Add tuna to the bowl and mix well. Cover a refrigerate while you prepare the dressing.
For the dressing: mix together Greek yogurt, sour cream, and mayo in a small bowl.
Add 1 tbsp. Parmesan and 1 diced green onion. Season with salt and pepper.
Mix the dressing into the cold pasta salad and cover and refrigerate until serving.
I like to refrigerate for at least an hour before serving to let the flavors blend and the salad to get cool.
Top with extra grated parmesan and a couple tbsp. of diced green onions right before serving.
My little Ava kept trying to dip her graham cracker into the tuna salad while I was taking pictures. Little stink! Haha!
Perfect for a Spring picnic or potluck! Personally my favorite go to lunch for Ava and I! Healthy, delicious, and plenty for a crowd (or big eaters like my family!).
Thanks
I love this recipe Nicole! Do you know how many calories it has? I already finished the 3 Day Military diet and lost 6 pounds. I’m looking for more low carb and nutritious meals that will help in my weight loss journey. I love how you incorporate the greek yogurt and sour cream. I can’t wait to try this myself. Thank you. If you want to take a peek at the military diet and make a review of it for readers like me, here’s the link http://3daysmilitarydiet.com/diet-plan/3-day-military-diet-shopping-list.html