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Full of simple and fresh ingredients, this tuna pasta salad is the perfect side dish for your next cookout, an easy entrée for a weeknight dinner, or a refreshing make-ahead lunch. You’ll love the flavorful combination of peas, lemon, dill, and a creamy mayo dressing in this cold pasta salad with tuna fish!
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If you’re looking for other tuna recipes, don’t miss this classic tuna noodle casserole, the best tuna melt recipe, and this easy tuna nicoise salad, too!
This creamy tuna pasta salad with mayo is one of my go-to summer recipes when I want something comforting, delicious, and easy to throw together. It’s incredibly simple, yet it always wins rave reviews. Plus, there’s no need to turn on the oven. If you love tuna salad, you’ll love Aunt Bee’s pasta salad with tuna!
Aunt Bee’s Simple Tuna Pasta Salad Recipe
My mom’s godmother, Aunt Bee, is a fine Southern hostess in the best sense of the term! She has served holiday meals, cocktails, and lunches to our friends and family for as long as I can remember, and her dishes are always delicious. Aunt Bee has a knack for preparing classic recipes in a way that feels special and decadent. She knows which ingredients work best together, and she also knows some genius shortcuts to keep prep time in the kitchen minimal. Isn’t that what we’re all looking for?
Over the past ten years, Aunt Bee has been sharing treasures from her past (and present!) with me — including fond memories of my grandmother (her best friend), her family’s holiday traditions and keepsakes, and some of her most treasured recipes. This tuna pasta salad is just a slight twist on Aunt Bee’s favorite shrimp pasta salad, and it’s always a huge hit!
Tuna Pasta Salad Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need to make Aunt Bee’s Southern tuna pasta salad recipe. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Tuna fish: I prefer cans of solid white albacore tuna packed in water.
- Pasta: elbow macaroni is a classic addition to this pasta salad, but you can substitute with any similar small pasta shape, such as rotini, small shells, farfalle (bowties), or penne.
- Green onion: provides a mild onion flavor. For a stronger, zestier flavor, substitute with diced red onion.
- Red bell pepper and celery: bulk up the salad with crisp, fresh, crunchy texture.
- Peas: thawed frozen peas add a sweet touch and bright green color.
- Mayonnaise, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, fresh dill, salt, and ground black pepper: simple ingredients that come together for a flavorful, creamy dressing.
How to Make Tuna Pasta Salad
This creamy pasta salad with tuna is not fancy, but it disappears fast when you put it on the table (perfect for potlucks!). I especially love the variety of textures, from the creamy dressing to the crunchy vegetables and the tender pasta. Add in fresh lemon juice and fresh herbs for refreshing zest! I’ve included detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post, but here’s the quick version:
- Boil the pasta, drain, and rinse under cold water.
- Combine tuna, cooked pasta, green onion, bell pepper, celery, and peas in a large bowl.
- Whisk together the pasta salad dressing in a separate bowl.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
What to Serve with Tuna Pasta Salad
This hearty dish is filling enough to serve as an entrée, but it also works as a side with a piece of fish or grilled meat. Here are a few options that go well with tuna pasta salad:
- Wedge Salad, Classic Caesar Salad, House Salad with Candied Pecans, or a Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette
- Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
- Southern Succotash
- Southern Collard Greens or Sweet and Spicy Collard Greens with Bacon
- Fried Okra
- Homemade Baked Beans with Bacon
- Charleston Red Rice
- Okra and Tomatoes
- Southern Squash Casserole
- Cheese Grits
- Crusty French Baguette, a loaf of homemade Dutch Oven Bread, Soft Dinner Rolls, or Homemade Crescent Rolls
- Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits, 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits, 4-Ingredient Butter Swim Biscuits, 7UP Biscuits, Sweet Potato Biscuits, Cheese Biscuits, Pumpkin Spice Biscuits, Cheddar Biscuits with Chives and Bacon, or Drop Biscuits
- Cast Iron Cornbread, Fluffy Bakery-Style Corn Muffins, Broccoli Cornbread, Southern Cornbread, Jiffy Cornbread with Creamed Corn, Sweet Cornbread, Pumpkin Cornbread, Cake Mix Cornbread, Skillet Cornbread, Corn Sticks, or Honey Cornbread
- Hush Puppies
- Coleslaw or Vinegar Coleslaw
- Hoe Cakes
- 3-Ingredient Sour Cream Muffins
- Blackened Salmon, Grilled Salmon, Marinated Salmon, or Salmon with Dill Sauce
- Fresh Fruit Salad
- Sweet Tea Brined Chicken, Crispy Fried Chicken, Oven-Fried Nashville Hot Chicken, Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs, or Grilled Chicken
- Grilled Steak Tips, Filet Mignon, Dutch Oven BBQ Beef, Grilled Hamburgers, or London Broil
- Crab Cakes, Fried Oysters, or Grilled Scallops
Preparation and Storage Tips for Tuna Macaroni Salad
- Make Ahead: For convenience, you can make this tuna pasta salad the night before you plan to enjoy it. I recommend chilling the dish for at least 30 minutes before serving to give the flavors a chance to “come together,” but overnight is fine as well. You might need to add a little bit more mayonnaise to the salad the next day if you find that the pasta has absorbed too much of the dressing.
- Storage: The pasta salad will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- I do not recommend freezing the pasta salad. The creamy dressing may “break” or separate when thawed, and the pasta and vegetables will be mushy.
Recipe Variations
- Any small pasta shape will work, so feel free to substitute rotini, small shells, farfalle (bow tie pasta), or penne for the macaroni.
- To lighten it up and add a tangy flavor, swap out some of the mayo and use plain Greek yogurt instead. A dollop or two of Dijon mustard is also good.
- For more fish in your salad, replace some of the celery with an extra can of tuna.
- Halved cherry tomatoes, diced cucumbers, capers, pickle relish, or kalamata olives would also be delicious additions to this salad.
- For a stronger lemon flavor, add grated lemon zest to the dressing.
- Use any fresh herbs that you enjoy. I love the combination of dill with seafood, but you can substitute with chopped fresh parsley, basil, or chives.
- Add a dash or two of Old Bay seasoning for a zesty touch.
- Cooking for a smaller family? Cut all of the ingredients in half.
- Substitute jumbo lump crab meat or even imitation crab, cooked shrimp, or cooked chicken for the tuna.
Tips for the Best Tuna Pasta Salad Recipe
- Use a high-quality mayonnaise for the dressing, since it adds so much flavor to the dish. I prefer Duke’s brand mayo.
- Cook the pasta just until al dente, so that it’s not too mushy in the salad.
- Liberally salt the pasta cooking water, since this is your chance to season the pasta.
- Rinse the pasta under cold water to stop the cooking process. This also removes some of the starches from the noodles so that they don’t stick together in the salad.
- Use solid white albacore tuna in water for the best texture.
More Pasta Salad Recipes to Try
Ham Pasta Salad
50 minutes mins
Easy Pasta Salad with Mayo
2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Chicken Pasta Salad with Shrimp and Pepperoni
2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Tuna Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni or small shells pasta
- 2 (5 ounce) cans solid white albacore tuna packed in water, drained and flaked with a fork
- ¼ cup chopped green onion
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 2 cups diced celery
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh minced dill (or 2 teaspoons dried dill weed)
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus extra to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain the pasta in a colander and rinse under cold water. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- In a large bowl, combine tuna fish, cooked pasta, green onion, bell pepper, celery, and peas.
- In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, dill, salt, and pepper.
- Pour dressing over pasta mixture and gently toss until completely coated.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. Taste and season with additional salt, if desired. Stir in extra mayo if the mixture seems dry.
Notes
- Use a high-quality mayonnaise for the dressing, since it adds so much flavor to the dish. I prefer Duke’s brand mayo.
- Cook the pasta just until al dente, so that it’s not too mushy in the salad.
- Liberally salt the pasta cooking water, since this is your chance to season the pasta.
- Rinse the pasta under cold water to stop the cooking process. This also removes some of the starches from the noodles so that they don’t stick together in the salad.
- Use solid white albacore tuna in water for the best texture.
This was delicious. Didn’t have celery so swapped for corn and it seemed like that worked fine. Will be on the potluck list for sure:).
Thank you, Ali!
I’ve always loved tuna salad. Good combo of ingredients and that dressing, especially, sounds delicious. I’ll have to try it soon. You hadn’t mentioned your Aunt Bee in a while. I hope she is well!
Thanks, Marion! She’s doing well — past 100 years old now, so just not sending me many recipes these days. 🙂
I bet this would also be good with salmon or ham.
That does sound great, Marion!
I’m glad your Aunt Bee is well. Over 100! Even older than my parents would be now, if they were alive, 91 and 93. Just unbelievable how the years fly by. I’m 63 this year and I just can’t imagine how that happened?!
Yes, it definitely flies by!