Tuna Macaroni Salad

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 quart water
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion, including green onion greens
• 1 cup chopped red, orange, or yellow bell pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 cans tuna, packed in olive oil
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4-1/3 a head lettuce, sliced first and roughly chopped into 2 inch long strips
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise, more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
• Fresh ground pepper

Directions

1. Bring 1 quart of water to a rolling boil in a saucepan, add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 cup of elbow macaroni, and cook it uncovered for about 10 minutes, until it’s just a touch softer than al dente.
2. Take the pan off the heat, drain the macaroni, and rinse it under cold water. While the pasta cooks, get the rest of the salad going: in a large bowl, stir together the green onion, bell peppers, parsley, tuna, celery and lemon.
3. Add the cooked, drained macaroni to the bowl. Fold in the mayonnaise until everything is evenly combined, then stir in the paprika and season with fresh ground pepper to taste. If you’re making this ahead, this is the point where you can chill it.
4. Just before serving, gently fold in the lettuce. This salad isn’t great as leftovers, since the lettuce will get soggy after a while.