Tuna and pesto pasta salad recipe

Although this recipe is written for kids, that doesn't mean that adults aren't allowed to make it. It is simple, colourful, light and tasty - perfect for packed lunches too. Tuna and pesto pasta salad may well become a household favourite especially if the kids make it. Teaching them to wash up afterwards can be the hard part though

Serves 4

Takes about 20 minutes to make, plus cooling

• 225g pasta shapes of your choice
• 1/3 cucumber
• 100g cherry tomatoes
• 2 tsp ready-made green pesto
• 185g can MSC-certified pole or line-caught tuna steak in olive oil, or MSC-certified wild Alaskan salmon, drained *
• 4 tbsp French dressing

How to make tuna and pesto pasta salad

1. Fill a large saucepan with water, add a generous pinch of salt and cover. Bring the water to a rolling boil. (You'll hear the pan lid rattling, and when you take off the lid, you'll see lots of big bubbles rising to the surface.) Add the pasta and stir it once. Keep the heat high so the water stays boiling but leave uncovered. Cook for 10 minutes, or according to the packet instructions. To test it is cooked, take out one pasta shape with a spoon with holes in it. Let it cool, then bite it. It should be soft with a slight firmness.

2. Meanwhile, put the cucumber on a chopping board and carefully chop it into chunky pieces. Cut the tomatoes in half.

3. Put a colander in the sink and ask an adult to drain the pasta for you. Transfer the pasta to a large bowl and leave to cool slightly. Stir in the pesto (the oil in it will stop the pasta sticking).

4. Roughly flake the tuna and stir into the pasta, along with the chopped cucumber and tomatoes. Season and add the French dressing and stir it all together.

5. Eat the pasta salad straightaway or cover and chill in the fridge for up to 2 days.

© delicious. magazine

* Salmon, cod and tuna are severely threatened by over-fishing. There are a number of sustainable and just as tasty species that work equally well in the above recipe - in some cases they can even be cheaper. See channel4.com/fish for more information.