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
- Put a cup of water, spinach, seasonings and mayonnaise into your blender and blend till smooth.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- After this you can pour the spinach mayo over the pasta medley and you are good to go.
- 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.
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