Mostly Healthy Tuna 'n Veggie Salad

Total Time: 55 mins Preparation Time: 40 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 6 (6 -8 ounce) cans light chunk tuna in water
• 8 tablespoons regular mayonnaise or 8 tablespoons light mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sweet relish (optional)
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 medium vidalia onion, diced
• 2 carrots, cut into half circles
• 2 cups green peas (fresh or frozen, thaw if frozen)
• 1 -1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice or 1 -1 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
• lettuce leaves or spinach leaves, to serve over
• 3 cups dry medium pasta shells
• salt and black pepper
• shredded cheddar cheese (optional) or monterey jack cheese (optional)

Recipe

• 1 cook pasta to desired doneness according to package directions.
• 2 drain well and rinse thoroughly in cold water.
• 3 dice celery and onion.
• 4 cut carrots into"half circles".
• 5 open tuna cans and drain well.
• 6 scoop tuna out into a large mixing bowl.
• 7 add mayonnaise,salt,pepper and lemon juice to tuna and mix well.
• 8 add relish, if using, and mix well.
• 9 add celery, onions, carrots, and peas to tuna mixture, mixing well after each addition.
• 10 add pasta to tuna and vegetable mixture and gently mix well with a large rounded spatula or similar utensil to avoid tearing pasta.
• 11 wash desired amount lettuce or spinach leaves and pat dry between paper towels.
• 12 place lettuce or spinach leaves on serving plates or in bowls and top with desired amount of tuna salad.
• 13 hint: an ice cream scoop works very well for scooping the tuna salad and making a nice looking dish.
• 14 top with shredded cheese, if using.