Tuna Pasta Salad
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Ok, hope you love tuna pasta salad as much as we do! This party pasta with tuna is great for any occasion. When we made this huge bowl during filming, it was devoured quick for lunch in the test kitchen.
Tuna Pasta Salad Recipe
It was the perfect pasta lunch that’s loaded with flavor and texture. The secret to why our recipe is so delicious is because we use lots of tuna. Yes, we love it and added 3 cans to the recipe for maximum tuna in each bite. With the added chopped celery and other awesome ingredients it’s not a boring dish. It’s the party-perfect bowl of easy pasta salad to bring to the next potluck or party.
Video: Best Tuna Pasta Salad
How to Make Easy Tuna Pasta Salad Recipe
- We already talked about adding extra tuna. Don’t skimp on adding the extra tuna because this is what makes the salad flavorful.
- Now the part to make this dish great is choosing the pasta. We prefer smaller pasta so that it’s not too filling and so that each bite is loaded with more tuna. Small elbow macaroni, ditalini, rotini and farfalle or bow tie is our favorite. They’re smaller, taste tender and aren’t too filling. You can cook the pasta to be al dente, but our secret is to cook the pasta a little softer.
- If you want to replace the mayo but still keep the creamy-ness you can smash a ripe avocado with replace the mayo.
- Using greek yogurt is also another option. You’ll have a nice yogurt “tang” to balance out the flavors of the tuna.
- Add extra veggies like thawed frozen peas or even small bits of chopped broccoli.
- Fresh herbs really make this dish stand out. We love to toss a big handful of fresh chopped dill and parsley.
- All pasta with tuna recipe details and photos are in the recipe box below.
Best Canned Tuna?
There’s so many different types of canned tuna out there for this potluck pasta recipe.
- Common types of canned tuna include Chunk light tuna with yellowfin tuna, solid white albacore tuna, whole albacore tuna and a few others. But our favorite is using a quality albacore tuna. Sure, it might cost a little more money but you actually get more tuna out of the can than other inexpensive brands. The flaky chunks of albacore tuna can’t be beat.
- Some are packed in oil or water. When it’s packed in water, it’s less on the calories. But you’ll still have to add some oil to the pasta salad so that the pasta doesn’t dry out.
- Tuna packed in oil tastes better and with the oil, it adds extra creamy-ness to the salad.
Tuna Pasta Salad
Make sure to add enough salt/seasoning for maximum flavor. For this much pasta, you must add enough salt to bring out the tasty flavors. Best part about this salad is that you can totally customize it the way you want. Add more of less of any ingredient to make it perfect to your personal taste! For the tuna, we found a big flavor and texture difference by using the solid white chunk albacore tuna vs the chunk light style tunas. Feel free to use more or less tuna depending on your personal taste preference.
Ingredients
- 12-16 ounces (340-454 g) dried pasta , cooked to package instructions
- 15 oz. (425 g) tuna , drained (3 cans)
- 1 cup (224 g) mayonnaise , to taste depending on how creamy you like it
- 2 stalks celery , diced
- 1/4 cup (35 g) diced pickles or relish
- 3 Tablespoons (45 ml) minced red onion
- 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) prepared mustard
- 3 Tablespoons (45 ml) minced parsley
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt , or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) fresh cracked black pepper , to taste
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) dried dill , or 2 Tablespoons fresh chopped dill (optional)
- freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste – (optional)
- slices of fresh lemon , garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the pasta: Fill a large bowl (big enough to hold cooked pasta) halfway with ice water. Boil pasta to package instructions. Drain pasta, rinse with cold water and shock the pasta by adding it to the cold water to get it cold fast. Once cold, drain the pasta, transfer to a large bowl.
- In the bowl with the pasta, add tuna, mayonnaise, celery, relish or pickles, red onion, mustard, parsley, salt, pepper and/or optional dill, and lemon juice.
- Gently stir everything together. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving. Garnish with lemon slices.
Video
Nutrition Information per Serving
Calories: 368kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 17g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 17mg, Sodium: 583mg, Potassium: 200mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 197IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 23mg, Iron: 1mg
How to Store Pasta Salad?
If you have leftovers, store the tuna pasta in an airtight plastic container or bag. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Try to eat it as soon as possible because it does not freezer well. Before serving the pasta again taste it and see if you need to add any extra mayo or seasonings. You can even add another can of tuna for more flavor.
More Easy Tuna Recipes :
- Click Here for all our –> Amazing Pasta Salad Recipes
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- Avocado tuna salad
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- Crispy skillet tuna patties
- Mom’s tuna salad sandwiches
- Here’s more tuna recipe ideas for ya!
- This recipe was originally published in 2020
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5 Comments on “Tuna Pasta Salad”
This tuna pasta salad recipe is a true lifesaver for our cook out. It was such a hit with my friends. Thanks so much for the recipe.
My kids don’t normally eat tuna but they really love this salad. Thanks a lot for the recipe.
This was such a delightful salad recipe. Loved everything about it.
This is my absolute favorite tuna pasta salad. So much good flavor.
Thanks for this recipe. I was able to get my kids to eat tuna.