Warm Orzo Salad with Tuna, Olives, Feta and Pine Nuts

I love a warm salad, especially one with pasta in and orzo is the arguably the best pasta for this because it not only soaks up the dressing but also retains some of bite for an added bit of texture throughout the dish.

As for the rest of the ingredients, I was mainly inspired by what I had in the fridge and cupboards but I guess it's almost Niçoise in style with a touch of Greece from the feta and Italy with the orzo and pine nuts. As is often the case with my recipes, there are always swaps you can make - use any green vegetable instead of the beans, use any nut you like, swap the olives for sundried tomatoes... go wild!

Warm Orzo Salad with Tuna, Olives, Feta and Pine Nuts
Serves 2

150g orzo

1 shallot or a small onion

3 tbsp rapeseed oil, plus a little extra

60g fine green beans, chopped

½ lemon, juice only

1 tsp wholegrain mustard

1 tsp honey

160g tin tuna, drained

1 tbsp pine nuts, toasted in a dry pan

150g mixed olives and feta

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook the orzo in a pan of salted boiling water for 10 minutes, adding the green beans to the pan for the last 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a little drizzle of oil in a small pan. Add the shallot/onion with a pinch of salt and cook for 5 minutes over a medium heat until softened.

In a large bowl, whisk together the 3 tbsp oil, lemon juice, mustard and honey with a big pinch of salt and pepper. Add the onions, tuna, pine nuts, olives and feta to the dressing and toss together to coat.

Drain and add the orzo and green beans. Give everything another toss. Taste and adjust the seasoning if you need to and then serve.