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Tuna, Pasta and Cheese Salad

Three-color pasta, cubed cheese, tuna, and roasted sweet peppers blend into a spunky salad that we enjoy over 2 suppers during hot summer days. This is an excellent salad that I’ve served with or without cashews since sometimes I forget those. Fresh basil is essential to this recipe and we just have some fancy fresh breads and butter with it.

15 min | 15 min prep (does not include chill time of 2-8 hours)

Serves 4

• 2 cups dried tri-colored fusilli or rotini pasta
• 3/4 cup cubed swiss cheese or cheddar cheese or provolone cheese
• 2/3 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup celery
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup creamy roasted garlic salad dressing or peppercorn ranch dressing
• 7 ounces chunk tuna in water, drained
• 1 (7 ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and coarsely chopped
• romaine lettuce leaf
• 1/3 cup roasted cashews

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.
2. Rinse with cold water; drain again.
3. Transfer pasta to large bowl.
4. Stir in cheese, peas, celery and basil, tuna and peppers.
5. Pour salad dressing over pasta mixture; toss gently to combine.
6. Cover and chill for 2 – 8 hours.
7. To serve, stir in a few tablespoons additional salad dressing, if necessary, to moisten pasta mixture.
8. Arrange romaine leaves in salad bowl or on chilled dinner plates.
9. Top with pasta mixture.
10. Sprinkle with cashews.