Linguine with Italian Tuna and White Beans

Cooking time again. This time I was attempting a twist on our normal pasta dinner. When I read this recipe in a magazine, it sounded good to me and I decided to give it a try.

First you take some pasta (it called for spinach linguine but I just used whole wheat pasta) and cook it according to package directions.

While your pasta is cooking, chop up some stuff. Like fresh Italian parsley. This was my first time working with fresh parsley - I've always used dried. Assuming it was going to taste just like the dried stuff, I chopped up more than the recipe called for because I thought the pasta would need more flavor.

Then I chopped up the red onion.

Setting my chopped stuff aside, and after three different attempts with three different can openers, I FINALLY was able to open my tuna cans. You have to have tuna in oil for this recipe.

To make the dressing, I drained the oil from the tuna into a bowl.

Add some lemon juice...it's supposed to be fresh squeezed but, not only did I not have enough lemons, no way did I want to do all that work.

then some minced garlic, salt, and pepper.

Whisk it all together and then flake your tuna it the dressing as well.

My pasta was done by now, and so I was to rinse it with cold water. And that's what I did.

Next, after draining and rinsing your beans (they are supposed to be cannellini beans but I didn't have any so I used garbanzo beans), add them to your pasta.

Throw in your parsley, onions, and tuna dressing.

And stir it all together!

Whala! You're done. Plate it up, throw on some parsley for garnish and lemon slices on the side for extra flavor.

It looked pretty and I love tuna so I was excited for this dinner. I was a little nervous about the lemon flavor because usually I'm not the biggest lemon fan, and usually I don't like crunchy onions with soft pasta and beans. But the dish had sounded good so I was giving it a try.

Until about halfway through, I liked it pretty well, and actually it wasn't the lemon that got to me. Let me tell you, fresh parsley is WAY stronger than dried. I should have never added extra parsley and the flavor started to overwhelm me. I had to give the rest of my plate to Brigham. The crunchy onion bothered me a little bit but not too much.

Brigham was more than happy to eat the rest because he really liked it. Lydia did well eating hers too :)

This meal was cheap, easy, and pretty healthy. I'm giving it three stars out of five.

Even though I couldn't finish my plate, I liked the dish enough that I would make it again as a side salad. It's too much for me to have it as the main portion of my meal, but it would be a great complimentary side for lots of entrees.

Here's the recipe in case you want to try it out for yourself, and keep in mind it's not mine. I would give credit where it's deserved, I just don't remember what magazine I ripped the recipe out of:

8oz spinach linguine
8oz canned Italian tuna packed in oil
1/4cup fresh lemon juice
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 can (15oz) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped Italian leaf parsley, plus whole leaves for garnish
1/2 thinly sliced lemon (optional)

Cook pasta as directed on package; drain and rinse under cold water. Drain tuna, reserving oil in a salad bowl: whisk juice, garlic, salt and pepper with oil. Flake tuna into same bowl. Add pasta, beans, onion and chopped parsley; toss gently to coat with dressing. Serve garnished with parsley leaves and lemon slices, if desired.