Tuna Niçoise Pasta Salad (Easy Meal Prep for NAFLD)
Generously flavored and made with wholesome ingredients, this pasta salad is filling and easy on your liver. Chilled whole grain pasta converts to resistant starch, while the green beans, artichoke hearts, olives and tuna provide "clothing for your carbs" to help blunt the glycemic response and protect your liver from storing excess fat.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Whole wheat fusilli or penne
- 2 5 oz Can of canned tuna in water, drained and flaked
- 1 14 oz Can of artichoke hearts quartered in brine, drained
- 1 12 oz Bag of frozen cut green beans, steamed in the bag according to package directions
- 2 cups Grape tomatoes
- ½ cup sliced Kalamata olives
- 2 tbsp capers, drained
- ½ cup tightly packed basil, finely chopped
- ½ cup Flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- ¼ cup small red onion, thinly sliced
- 4 jammy eggs, peeled and sliced in half Boil eggs directly from fridge to pot for 8 minutes. Cool in ice bath immediately after.
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (for roasting the tomatoes)
- pinch of salt (for roasting the tomatoes)
French Vinaigrette
- ⅓ cup cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic, grated or minced
- 2 tbsp Kalamata olive brine from the jar
- 2-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar, depending on how tart you like your dressing
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1-2 tsp monk fruit sweetener, depending on how sweet you like your dressing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the grape tomatoes in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and salt. Roast for 25-30 minutes until the tomatoes look jammy and slightly charred.
- While the tomatoes are roasting, bring bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the whole wheat fusilli according to package instructions until al dente.
- Drain the pasta and rinse under cold water until cooled. Drain thoroughly then place into a large mixing bowl. Check on the tomatoes and remove from the oven to cool slightly when done.
- To the pasta, add the canned tuna, artichoke hearts, cooked green beans, roasted tomatoes, olives, capers, basil, parsley and red onion.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the olive oil, Dijon mustard, garlic, olive brine balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, thyme and monkfruit. Taste test, and adjust the seasoning depending on how you like your dressing.
- Add the vinaigrette to the pasta mixture and toss to evenly combine all the ingredients.
- Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap (or divide the pasta salad among meal prep containers) and top with a jammy egg halve on each serving.
- Refrigerate and chill overnight, ideally for more than 24 hours.
Nutrition
Serving: 1.5cups | Calories: 355kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 17.5g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8.5g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 530mg | Potassium: 480mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 950IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 2.6mg