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This pasta salad Niçoise is a delicious salad that is ready in no time and is also very suitable for making ahead of time. It is a perfect dish for a summery day and is suitable to eat as a main dish or lunch.
You can cook your pasta and hard-boiled eggs beforehand, use your favorite cans of tuna, and mix everything together to enjoy this delicious pasta salad even faster!
Normally you will think of Italy when eating a pasta dish but don’t be fooled! This Niçoise pasta salad is originating from the beautiful city of Nice in the south of France.
To make this dish into an elevated tuna pasta salad, this recipe incorporates tuna and fresh basil. The fresh basil is a vital component, infusing the pasta with aromatic notes that transport you straight to the sun-kissed landscapes of the Mediterranean coast.
Let me know down below in the comments if you liked this recipe!
Supplies
- Large bowl
- 3 pots
- Strainer
- Cutting board and knife
Ingredients
- 120 g pasta
- 300 g green beans
- 1 red onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 cans of tuna
- 250 g cherry tomatoes
- 125 g Kalamata olives (or regular black olives)
- 100 g arugula salad
- 4 hard-boiled eggs
- Fresh basil, black pepper, and salt to taste
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 3 tsp Dijon mustard
How to cook
Start by preparing the green beans, pasta, and eggs. They require the most time as they need to be boiled (and cooled down).
Trim the ends of the green beans and set up three pots on the stove over high heat with water and a pinch of salt. Once you have a rolling boil in your pots, you can cook the eggs for about 8 minutes, the pasta for the indicated time on the package (I recommend letting them boil until they are al dente), and the green beans for 10-14 minutes.
Give the eggs, pasta, and green beans a quick rinse under cold water or put them in ice water, and set them aside until completely cooled down to room temperature (you can refrigerate them if needed).
Finely chop the onion and garlic cloves and add them to a small mixing bowl for the dressing. Mix well with the vinegar, olive oil, mustard, fresh basil, black pepper, and salt. Set aside until serving the salad.
Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and drain the tuna in a strainer. Roughly chop the olives and add them and the cherry tomatoes to the large bowl. Wash the arugula and add it to the bowl as well.
Peel the eggs and cut them into large pieces. Once the eggs, pasta, and green beans have cooled down, add them to the large bowl. Mix the salad well and add the dressing as the final step.
Enjoy your meal!
Tips
- Try this recipe with some artichoke hearts, bell peppers, anchovies, or capers for a different twist to your pasta.
- Traditionally the dressing is made only out of olive oil and lemon juice.
- You can use all sorts of pasta, I used penne in this recipe but elbow macaroni, or fusilli (corkscrew-shaped pasta) would be just fine as well.
- Use leftover pasta and hard-boiled eggs to make this pasta salad even quicker.
- If you have any leftover pasta salad, eat it as a side dish or use it for your lunch tomorrow.
- When you combine pasta be careful, different sorts of pasta have different cooking times.
Pasta niçoise
Pasta niçoise is a delicious pasta salad that is ready in no time and is also very suitable for making ahead of time.
Ingredients
- 120 g pasta
- 300 g green beans
- 1 red onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 cans of tuna
- 250 g cherry tomatoes
- 125 g Kalamata olives
- 100 g arugula salad
- 4 eggs
- Fresh basil, black pepper, and salt to taste
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 3 tsp Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Trim the ends of 300 g green beans and set up three pots on the stove over high heat with water and a pinch of salt.
- Once the water boils, you can cook 4 eggs for about 8 minutes, 120 g pasta for the indicated time on the package, and the green beans for 10-14 minutes.
- Give the eggs, pasta, and green beans a quick rinse under cold water or put them in ice water, and set them aside until completely cooled down to room temperature (you can refrigerate them if needed).
- Finely chop the onion and 2 garlic cloves and add them to a small mixing bowl for the dressing.
- Mix well with 2 tbsp vinegar, 4 tbsp olive oil, 3 tsp Dijon mustard, basil, pepper, and salt.
- Set aside until serving the salad.
- Cut 250 g cherry tomatoes in half and drain two cans of tuna in a strainer.
- Roughly chop 125 g olives and add them and the tomatoes to the mixing bowl.
- Wash 100 g arugula and add it to the bowl as well.
- Peel the eggs and cut them into large pieces.
- Once the eggs, pasta, and green beans have cooled down, add them to the large bowl.
- Mix the salad well and add the dressing as the final step.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Try this recipe with some artichoke hearts, bell peppers, anchovies, or capers for a different twist to your pasta.
- Traditionally the dressing is made only out of olive oil and lemon juice.
- You can use all sorts of pasta, I used penne in this recipe, but elbow macaroni or fusilli (corkscrew-shaped pasta) would be fine as well.
- Use leftover pasta and hard-boiled eggs to make this pasta salad even quicker.
- If you have any leftover pasta salad, eat it as a side dish or use it for your lunch tomorrow.
- When you combine pasta be careful, different sorts of pasta have different cooking times.
Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 447Total Fat 29gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 22gCholesterol 206mgSodium 658mgCarbohydrates 25gFiber 6gSugar 7gProtein 24g
This post may contain one or more affiliate links, which means I will get a small commission when you buy a product via the provided link at no cost to you! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See my full disclaimer here.
This looks delicious, adding it to my recipe book!
Thank you! Let me know if you liked it!