Citrus Tuna Pasta Salad

By AlexG

Ingredients

• Lemon Dressing:
• 12 oz dried pasta
• 2 9-oz packages frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
• 2 9-1/4-oz cans chunk white tuna (water packed), drained and broken into chunks
• 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
• 2 cups chopped yellow sweet peppers
• 1/2 cup sliced, pitted ripe olives
• 1 recipe Lemon Dressing (see recipe below)
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup rice or wine vinegar;
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tbs fresh or 2 tsp dried -thyme or basil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, minced.

Preparation

Step 1

1. Cook pasta to package directions, adding the artichoke hearts the last 5 minutes of cooking; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain again. Halve any large artichoke hearts.
2. Transfer pasta and artichoke hearts to a very large bowl. Gently stir in tuna, mushrooms, sweet peppers, and olives.
3. Pour Lemon Dressing over pasta mixture; toss to coat. Cover and chill for 4 to 24 hours. Before serving, gently stir in tomatoes and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Lemon Dressing: In a small bowl whisk together. makes 3/4 cup