Tuna Rigatoni with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Ok so I'm just gonna go ahead and skip all the apologies I had on how I haven't shared a recipe in, oh two weeks or so, and simply just let you salivate over this dish and, um, yeah we'll go from there.

Tuna is something I love to incorporate in my dishes, especially since it's the only "seafood" I would actually eat up until 5 years ago.  I've said this before, but I'm not sure it's even morally right for someone as picky as me to be a food blogger.  I suppose it has helped broaden my palette and I definitely enjoy a lot more foods since I've started cooking regularly, but there are still some things I just simply refuse to eat.

Take anchovies for instance.  Never plan on trying them, so get over it.  Nor will I ever eat beets.  They look gross, smell gross and one can just assume they probably taste gross too.  Yes I do agree you should always try something once...but I guess those are my exceptions.

To lighten up this dish, I cut out over half the oil asked for and substituted it with some lemon juice for additional flavor.  I also used whole grain rigatoni to add extra fiber to the overall recipe.  This isn't really a big sauce-based dish, but cooking everything in one skillet really bumps up the flavor of the pasta and coats everything really well.  I also love the chunks of tuna and sun-dried tomato you get with every bite, it was a great marriage of ingredients!

Here, see for yourself!  

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Servings: 4
Serving Size: 1 cup
Calories: 330
Fat: 6 g
Carbs: 46.3 g
Fiber: 6.8 g
Protein: 16.5 g
Old Points: 6.3 pts
Points+: 8 pts 

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Here are your ingredients:

Recipe adapted from Pampered Chef

8 oz. whole grain rigatoni

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, drained and chopped

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 pouch chunk light tuna

Boil pasta and cook according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.  

Meanwhile, heat oil over medium-high heat; add garlic and red pepper flakes, simmering about 1 to 2 minutes.  Stir in tuna, sun-dried tomatoes and lemon juice, cooking for an additional 3 minutes until tomatoes are tender.  Add pasta, half of the parsley and half of the cheese to the skillet, tossing gently.  

To serve, divide pasta among plates and sprinkle each with remaining parsley and cheese, enjoy!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe 

So what dishes do YOU want to see lightened-up in the new year??
I'm making a list of ideas so feel free to share!!