Easy Spring Pasta!

In Homepage - Main Dishes by Frances Largeman Roth

Makes 6 servings

This simple and delicious weeknight dinner comes together quickly and is one of my favorites from Eating in Color.

We eat a lot of whole-wheat pasta at my house. I mean a lot. To break up the tan monotony of so much of it, I make a point of adding something colorful to every pasta meal. I love orecchiette because they’re so darn cute (the name in Italian means “little ears”) and also because they tend to grab and hold sauce very nicely.

Ingrediants:

  • 1 pound whole-wheat orecchiette
  • 1⁄2 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed and halved diagonally
  • 1⁄2 cup walnuts
  • 1⁄2 cup capers, rinsed and drained
  • 1⁄8 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
  • 1 can (5-ounce) Bumble Bee® Solid White Albacore Tuna in Water, drained
  • 1⁄4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Preparation:

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the orecchiette according to the package directions. Steam the snap peas for 2 minutes, just until the color brightens. Transfer the peas to a bowl. (If you have a steamer basket that’s larger than the diameter of your pasta-cooking pot, you can set it directly on top and utilize the steam rising off the boiling water below—saving energy and pan-washing time. This also works well with a 3-in-1 style pot.)
  2. While the pasta is cooking, combine the walnuts, capers, salt, lemon zest, lemon juice, oil, and cheese in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
  3. Drain the pasta, reserving 1⁄4 cup of the cooking water. In a large bowl, toss the hot pasta with the walnut mixture, adding a little of the cooking water if more moisture is needed. Break up the tuna and add it to the bowl; toss again. Finally, add the snap peas and parsley and toss one last time before serving. If you like, drizzle a bit more oil over the pasta before you plate it. Serve warm or at room temperature.