Story time: I grew up hating on pasta salad so hard. The thought of mayo-laden, slightly tangy, soggy pasta salad was enough to completely deter me from it. Especially if it contained finely chopped celery or some sort of dill. So over it. My mama would often make macaroni pasta salad with tuna for a very hot beach day and I pretty much wanted to bury myself in the sand not to receive a serving. That said, my mama is a no-nonsense person who would still offer me said serving, and then seconds, and then some. I was expected to eat whatever she would give me. There were no side meals, exceptions or catering to be done in our house. Nope. That woman ran her house like a boss.
The odd thing was, I loved all of my mama’s food. Almost all of it, with the exception of said pasta salad. But I love tuna and now there’s so many low-mercury varieties in the market. The thought of tuna and creamy cold pasta seemed appealing, if i could just manage to change the dressing. Yep, I isolated the problem: it’s ALL in the dressing!
As opposed to using mayo or Greek yogurt (an often-used healthier mayo substitute) I decided to go back to my roots (quite literally) and use HUMMUS. Yep, you read that correctly. Creamy, chickpea-powered protein goodness in lieu of eggs and canola oil. I can’t tell you how good it tastes, but it tastes even better with a few drops of Tabasco or your favorite picante sauce. For one personal bowl of pasta I use 2 tbsp of hummus.
I decided to change up the toppings, too and add fresh cherry tomatoes which bring really nice sweetness into the pasta salad. I’m also really into grilled/roasted broccoli right now, so added a few florets for both color and flavor. I steam it beforehand, which makes it WAY easier to digest and eliminates most of the gas situation that a lot of you often highlight.
If you don’t have/like broccoli: you could use brussels, rapini or broccolini (Chinese Broccoli). If you like cruciferous greens, this one is for you! I added low-mercury tuna, you can even buy it in a lemon and pepper flavor or squeeze your own. Lemon is a must on tuna, don’t skip on it! I also added some hemp hearts for protein and some sumac, because you know… sumac gives me life! And it makes all vegetables and protein better, especially tomatoes.
Hope you give this little salad a try, you will love! x
Creamy Bow Tie Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 bag of gluten-free pasta of your choice. I used bow tie pasta, also known as “farfalle” but you can use any shape you like
- 1 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
- 2 small garlic cloves, finely minced
- 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil for the pasta water
- 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil to roast the broccoli
- pinch of sea salt
- pinch of ground black pepper
- 1 cup of roasted, pre-steamed broccoli
- 2 cans of lemon tuna (I always buy the low-mercury varieties)
- red pepper flakes (optional)
- a sprinkle of sumac (optional)
Hummus Picante Dressing
- 8 tbsp of hummus for every 4 bowls of the pasta (2 tbsp per bowl)
- 1 tbsp of Tabasco or Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
- A dash of chili olive oil (optional)
OR, you can try my (dairy-free) Creamy Basil and Avocado Pesto
Instructions
- Follow cooking instructions on the pasta of your choice. I like to add sea salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the water I cook the pasta in. Gluten-Free pasta (especially if it’s corn or brown rice-based) can get pretty sticky, so the extra virgin olive oil keeps it from clumping together as it cooks.
- While the pasta boils, let’s roast the broccoli with a dash of olive oil, sea salt and pepper! I cut it into individual florets and place them in a baking tray, at 400F for 20-25 mins and toss them half way through. If you’d like, you can roast the tomatoes there, too.
- Drain the pasta and transfer to a large bowl or platter. Allow it to cool down. I always add the hummus and picante dressing in first, and toss well to coat evenly. Then I mix in the veggies and tuna. I toss again and refrigerate prior to serving. It’s always better to shake/toss than to stir with a spoon.
Enjoy every bite! It stays well in your fridge for 2-3 days. If the contents have thickened a bit, mix in 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil or add some more hummus dressing.
By: Aleyda/The Dish On Healthy
