Healthy lunch recipe: Super Green Spinach Mayo Tuna Pasta Salad

Who said eating vegetables has to be boring? Healthista’s lunch queen Ony Anukem is back with a healthy lunch recipe for Super Green Spinach Mayo Tuna Pasta Salad

When the new recommendations came out last week about how we should be eating 10 fruits and vegetables a day, I became frantic. Like many people I struggled to eat 5-a-day, talk less of doubling that number. However, I realised that by adding fruits and vegetables to some of your favourite dishes, you barely alter the taste and you load up on your 10-a-day intake, making mission impossible seem very achievable. Growing up (particularly during those poor university times) I loved Tuna Mayo Pasta, I could eat it all the time. It was very filling and when I sprinkled it with mozzarella cheese, it made my heart melt; though it was probably responsible for making my waist bulge too.

Like many people I struggled to eat 5-a-day, talk less of doubling that number

Fast forward to 2017 and Tuna Mayo Pasta was a thing of the past for me. Goodbye full fat mayonnaise, goodbye pasta, goodbye cheese. Then two days ago, it hit me – I can still have tuna mayo pasta, so long as I load it was lots of delicious vegetables.

More: How to get your 10-a-day without REALLY noticing

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time : 10 minutes

Ingredients

• Chopped spring onions
• 1 sweet pepper (diced finely)
• 400g pasta shapes (I use fresh because it is quicker)
• 4 handfuls of spinach
• 2 x 185g cans tuna in brine, drained
• As much Mixed vegetables as you want (fresh or frozen)
• 3 tbsp of light mayonnaise
• Seasonings to taste

Instructions

1. Put a cup of water, spinach, seasonings and mayonnaise into your blender and blend till smooth.
2. Place the pasta into a saucepan with boiling water and allow it to cook for 5 mins if fresh or 10 if it is dried.
3. Add the mixed vegetables in at this point, so that they can defrost if they are frozen. When the pasta is done, strain out the water.
4. Open the cans of tuna and tip out the liquid – at this point I take the tuna out and mix it in with the pasta and vegetables. At this point you should add the onions and pepper.                                             
5. After this you can pour the spinach mayo over the pasta medley and you are good to go.
6. Optionally you can garnish with an extra serving of vegetables – I opted for steamed mange tout.

Thinking of trying it out? We would love to see how to you get on with this Super Green Spinach Mayo Tuna Pasta Salad, upload a photo to Twitter (@healthistatv) or Instagram (@healthistatv) and tag us in your picture with the hashtag #HealthistaLunch. 

Read More:

Vietnamese noodle soup (chicken & egg)

Falafel and Hummus Quesadillas

15 Minute Lunch recipe: Tofu Teriyaki with Broccoli Rice

Like this article? Sign up to our newsletter to get more articles like this delivered straight to your inbox.