This pasta dish is extraordinarily easy to prepare and absolutely delicious to eat. Simply mix the ingredients together in a bowl while the pasta, beans and red pepper cook in the same pot of boiling water. Put the uncooked sauce in the pasta pot, and toss with the hot, drained pasta and vegetables to heat through.

7 oz (200g) pasta of your choice

1 cup green beans—ends trimmed and halved

1 red pepper (capsicum)—julienned

½ teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 clove garlic—minced (crushed)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

6 oz (180g) canned light meat tuna in olive oil—drained and broken into chunks

1 tablespoon capers—rinsed, drained and chopped

8 pitted black olives—sliced

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

COOK the pasta (see How to cook pasta) and add the green beans and red pepper to the pot for the final 8 minutes of cooking. WHILE the pasta is cooking, mix together the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. DRAIN the cooked pasta and vegetables in a colander, then put the tuna mixture in the bottom of the pot and top with the hot pasta and vegetables. TOSS together gently to combine well and heat through.

Variations: Toss 2 cups of broccoli florets into the boiling pasta water instead of the green beans. Serve with a little grated or shaved Parmesan or Romano cheese if desired.

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