Pasta Niçoise with Brown Rice Ziti
Perfectly crisp-tender green beans add crunch to this seared tuna salad with olives and tarragon mustard vinaigrette.
Photo: Yvonne Duivenvoorden
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Ingredients
- 1 cup brown rice ziti, rigatoni or penne pasta
- 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 6 oz green beans, trimmed
- 1/4 tsp olive oil
- 13 oz boneless, skinless tuna fillet
- Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
- 8 large black olives, pitted, drained and rinsed
Vinaigrette
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp raw honey
- 1 tbsp minced fresh tarragon or fresh flat-leaf parsley
Preparation
- Prepare vinaigrette: In a medium bowl, whisk together all vinaigrette ingredients. Set aside.
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse in cold water; drain well and return to pot. Add tomatoes and 2 tbsp vinaigrette and toss.
- Bring a small pot of water to a boil and prepare an ice bath. Add beans to pot and cook for about 4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain, then submerge beans in ice water until chilled; drain and set aside.
- Rub oil all over tuna and season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a cast iron skillet on medium-high until skillet is almost smoking hot. Sear tuna on 1 side until it easily releases from surface of skillet (forming a crust), about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip over and repeat on opposite side. Remove from skillet and transfer to a cutting board to cool, about 10 minutes. Slice tuna on the diagonal, about 1/8 inch thick or as thin as possible without causing slices to crumble. Arrange pasta mixture and beans on a large platter and top with slices of tuna and olives. Drizzle with remaining vinaigrette, to taste.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size 1 cup
- Calories 311
- Carbohydrate Content 26 g
- Cholesterol Content 41 mg
- Fat Content 10 g
- Fiber Content 2 g
- Protein Content 25 g
- Saturated Fat Content 2 g
- Sodium Content 219 mg
- Sugar Content 3 g
- Monounsaturated Fat Content 0 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat Content 0 g