Rotini with Cherry Tomatoes and Tuna

I made something similar to this a while back...but this was enough of a change where I thought, what the heck, hardly anyone has seen that old recipe anyway... :)

The nice thing about this recipe...it sort of had that feeling of summertime to it.  We, fortunately, have been experiencing wonderful weather lately.  Last week our highs were in the upper 70's!!  Considering other people were still in single digit weather, I considered myself very lucky.  With the warm weather came a craving for something light and fresh.  And this little dish was the perfect fix for that craving!

Rotini with Cherry Tomatoes and Tuna
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered (I may have actually used about 2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon thyme
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons, plus 2 Tablespoon olive oil, divided
1 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into bite size pieces
1 small zucchini, cut into bite size pieces or strips
1 garlic clove, minced
2 1/2 cups dried whole grain rotini pasta
1 can of tuna in water, drained

Directions:
In a bowl, add the cherry tomatoes, thyme, lemon juice, salt, pepper, sugar, 2 teaspoons olive oil, and parsley.  Toss to combine; set aside.

Cook the pasta according to package directions.  Drain; reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and saute the pepper over medium heat for about 3 minutes.  Add the zucchini and saute another 2 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Remove from heat and add the drained tuna.  Toss in the drained pasta, the tomato mixture and the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Toss to combine.  If the pasta is too dry, add more oil or the reserved pasta water.  Top with parmesan cheese if desired and enjoy!!

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