Tuna Pasta Salad with tuna, pasta shells, crunchy veg and creamy lemon mayo. A fast, simple make-ahead lunch or BBQ aspect.
Nicky’s Notes
That is our have-it-on-repeat lunch of the Summer season in the meanwhile!
A number of pretty recent flavours, simple to throw collectively (every thing else is chopped and prepped whereas the pasta’s cooking), and leftovers make an excellent simpler lunch the subsequent day!
I like to make use of pasta shells, as a result of they’re principally little pockets that scoop up all of the flavour.
You may sub with any pasta shapes you’ve gotten within the cabinet (it’s additionally certainly one of my favorite methods to make use of the final bits of pasta left throughout a number of luggage of pasta – a number of completely different shapes! 😁).
Prep it forward and take it to work, on picnics or add the BBQ desk as an additional aspect.
📋 Components for Tuna Pasta Salad
***Full recipe with detailed portions within the recipe card beneath***
Greatest Tuna for tuna pasta salad
I like to make use of tuna in olive oil, drained and gently flaked. It has a richer flavour and softer texture than tuna in brine or spring water, so it really works superbly with the creamy mayo dressing with out tasting dry.
Albacore tuna is a superb alternative when you want a milder flavour and firmer, meatier flakes, whereas skipjack tuna has a stronger tuna flavour and a softer texture that mixes simply by way of the pasta.
Each work nicely — simply ensure the tuna is nicely drained earlier than stirring it in, so the salad stays creamy reasonably than oily or watery.
🧑🍳 Abbreviated Recipe
***Full recipe with detailed steps within the recipe card beneath***
Cook dinner the pasta, then drain, rinse below chilly water and go away it to empty nicely. Combine drained tuna, chopped greens, dill pickles, mayonnaise, seasoning and lemon juice in a big bowl, then stir by way of the cooled pasta.
Recipe Ideas
- Cool the pasta absolutely earlier than mixing so the mayonnaise stays creamy and doesn’t loosen (and go oily) from the warmth.
- Drain the pasta rather well after rinsing. Any further water could make the tuna pasta salad style bland or watery.
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Make forward and Leftovers Information
- It is a nice make-ahead pasta salad. Retailer it in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3 days and stir earlier than serving. Freshen leftovers with a small spoonful of mayo or a squeeze of lemon earlier than serving.
- Don’t freeze leftovers – The mayonnaise dressing and recent greens don’t thaw nicely, and the feel can turn into watery.
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Cook dinner the pasta as per the pack directions, then drain and run below chilly water till chilly. Drain till dry.
280 g (10oz) dried pasta shapes (I take advantage of shells)
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Whereas the pasta is cooking place the remaining substances into a big bowl.
3 x 125g (4.4oz) tins tuna in olive oil, drained and flaked, 1 medium purple onion, peeled and finely diced, 200 g (3.5oz) cherry tomatoes, quartered, 1/2 medium cucumber, diced, 2 sticks celery, finely diced, 60 g (2oz) dill pickles, finely diced, 115 g (1/2 cup) full fats mayonnaise , 1/2 tsp celery salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 2 tsp recent lemon juice
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Add the cooked and cook dinner pasta to the bowl and blend every thing collectively till mixed.
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Serve immediately, or cowl and chill within the fridge (ought to hold nicely in an hermetic container for as much as 3 days).
Dietary data is approximate, per serving (based mostly on this recipe serving 4).
Energy: 549kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 25g | Fats: 23g | Saturated Fats: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 13g | Monounsaturated Fats: 5g | Trans Fats: 0.1g | Ldl cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 771mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g
Vitamin data is robotically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.
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