Tuna pasta salad
This simple tuna pasta salad is delicious and simple to make. Low in potassium, salt and phosphate, it’s a good alternative to sandwiches and works well with whole wheat fusilli or penne pasta for added fibre.
Chef
Ingredients
100g whole wheat pasta, dried
125g broccoli
200g tinned sweetcorn, in water, drained
10 cherry tomatoes (approx.100g)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
145g tinned tuna, in spring water, drained
Black pepper
1 little gem lettuce
Method
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Step 1
Half-fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Add the pasta and return to the boil. Cook for 8 minutes, or according to the packet instructions, stirring occasionally until cooked just enough to retain a somewhat firm texture.
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Step 2
Prepare the broccoli by trimming and cutting it in to short lengths. Add the broccoli to boiling water with the pasta and cook for a further 2 minutes.
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Step 3
When cooked, pour the pasta and broccoli in to a colander to drain. Then rinse under running water until cool. Drain well and tip into a mixing bowl.
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Step 4
Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Scatter the sweetcorn and tomatoes into the mixing bowl.
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Step 5
Using a fork, gently flake the tuna into the salad. Add the mayonnaise, season with black pepper and mix gently until well combined.
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Step 6
Serve the pasta salad on a bed of little gem lettuce leaves.
Food facts
The pasta is the main source of carbohydrate in this recipe, and the value has been provided for those who have been trained in insulin adjustment.
Despite the use of some high potassium ingredients, such as salad leaves, sweetcorn and tomatoes, this recipe is low in potassium, when following the quantities in the ingredients, and the serving sizes. Therefore, it is suitable for those advised to lower potassium in their diet
This recipe is also low in phosphate, however it does contain some phosphate, mainly provided by the tuna, therefore it you have been prescribed a phosphate binder, you should take as directed.
This recipe is high in protein, therefore suitable for those advised to eat more protein, such as those receiving dialysis.
If you have been advised to eat less protein, then you may wish to halve the quantity of tuna. Alternatively, replace the tuna with a small tin of chickpeas (tinned in water and drained). If making this change, the phosphate and potassium would remain low.
Use gluten-free pasta.
Use a small tin of tinned chickpeas in place of tuna.
Follow the vegetarian substitutions and use a vegan mayonnaise alternative.
If you want to reduce the amount of fat, try using a light or ‘lighter than light’ mayonnaise.
To reduce the cost of this recipe, swap the tinned tuna steak for tinned tuna chunks as this are often cheaper but make sure you always choose tuna in spring water.
This dish can be stored in an air tight container, in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Whole wheat pasta, such as fusilli, or penne work well for this recipe.