A must at my table!
I love garbanzo beans, also known as chic peas. They are so high in protein and so creamy in texture. Sometime I eat them by them selves with a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper.
I came up with this recipe because I wanted an added texture to my tuna pasta salad.
1 lb of Campanelle pasta shape, which means little bell
3 cans of premium albacore tuna in water, drained
1 bunch of Italian parsley, rinsed and chopped
cup diced yellow or red onion
1 cup diced red tomato
1 cup diced yellow tomato
1 28oz can of Garbanzo beans, drained
cup Olive Oil
Splash of white wine vinegar (optional)
Salt to taste
Shredded Iceberg lettuce
This is such an easy pasta recipe to prepare and like most Italian pasta recipes you don't really use mayonnaise but use the olive oil freely. It's so good for you and doesn't have any cholesterol.
You should cook the pasta first and rinse in cold water after you drain the pasta. Rinse until the pasta is cool to the touch. I like to drizzle just a touch of Olive Oil and mix so the pasta doesn't stick together and cool in the refrigerator.
Open the cans of tuna, drain the water, then place all the tuna in a large bowl. Use your hands to separate and mince the tuna so it's fine. Set aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Chop the tomatoes
Chop the Onions
Chop the parsley
In a large bowl pour in the chilled pasta and then toss in the rest of the ingredients with the exception of the lettuce and stir until you've blended your garbanzo bean salad together. Add the salt, and serve in a bowl over the shredded lettuce.
You can use extra salad dressing if you'd like or just drizzle some more Olive Oil with balsamic vinegar on top. Don't forget the crisp glass of white wine. The perfect summer, cold pasta salad.
For more great summer pasta salad recipes from this garbanzo bean salad page click here!