Tuna Pasta Salad Recipe
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Tuna Pasta Salad made with creamy dill and mayonnaise dressing on gluten free spiral pasta, peas, cherry tomatoes, and tuna is a classic easy dish to bring to your next potluck!
There’s nothing like a classic potluck dish, and if you still need ideas, I would recommend my Amish Broccoli Salad with Craisins and Creamy Coleslaw Dressing!
Tuna Pasta Salad Recipe
Tuna Pasta Salad is one of my all-time favorite recipes to bring to potlucks or BBQ’s, because it’s really simple to make and everyone loves it! I use peas and cherry tomatoes, but you can get creative with the extra veggies you add here. You can also make this same recipe with regular pasta if you don’t need gluten free. I’ll also serve this as a side dish if we’re just having burgers at home, or make a batch of it to have for lunches during the week.
What goes with cold pasta salad?
Cold pasta salad goes with most veggies and some fruits, and is a great way to use up leftovers from the night before. For this recipe I used peas, cherry tomatoes, and red onions. Here are some other ideas:
- Zucchini
- Green onions
- Cucumber
- Olives
- Apples
How long does tuna pasta salad last?
Tuna pasta salad will last refrigerated in an airtight container for 3-4 days. I don’t recommend freezing tuna pasta salad because it has a mayo dressing, and mayo generally doesn’t freeze well.
What can I serve with pasta salad?
- BBQ Instant Pot Ribs
- Moonshine Crock Pot Pulled Pork
- Instant Pot Corn on the Cob with Milk
- Baked BBQ Chicken Drumsticks
- Instant Pot Whole Chicken
How to Make Tuna Pasta Salad With Dill
For this dressing, I like to use dried dill. You can use fresh dill, but double the amount you use. You can also substitute the dill for other herbs, like basil or mint (mint might be an acquired taste for some of us!).
- Cook the pasta according to the box, drain and let cool while it’s still al dente.
- Whisk together mayo, milk, and seasoning.
- Add veggies and tuna to the pasta. Add sauce. Mix together.
- Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving, to let the flavors come together.
Tips for Making Tuna Pasta Salad
- If you want to make an Italian pasta salad, try leaving the dill out and adding sun dried tomatoes and fresh basil leaves, with a teaspoon of dried oregano.
- You can also make tuna pasta salad no mayo. Just substitute the mayo and milk with olive oil, used sparingly in a smaller amount.
- I like to serve this cold, but you can serve warm tuna pasta salad if you want to. Just make sure the dish is just warm, and not hot, so the mayo doesn’t separate.
- It’s usually a good idea to rinse gluten free pasta with cool water right after you drain it, if you want to keep it al dente. The pasta will keep cooking while it’s hot, so this stops the cooking process.
- You can make this with gluten free penne pasta, spiral pasta, or macaroni noodles. I haven’t tried it with regular fettuccine. But, if you can get it al dente, I think that would work, too!
- You want to use defrosted peas, but if you’re not going to be serving this until later, you can just add the frozen ones and they will defrost in the refrigerator.
- If you’re serving this the next day, I would make extra sauce. The noodles might soak in some of the sauce, and this gives you some to add just before serving to keep it creamy. I would make about 1/4 of the sauce this recipe initially calls for to have on the side.
Tuna Pasta Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 5oz cans tuna , drained
- 1 package gluten free spiral pasta
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 1/2 cups light mayonnaise
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
- 1 cup peas, thawed
- 1/2 cup 2% milk
- 1/2 cup red onion, diced
- ¼ cup dill pickles, diced
- 2 tbsp kosher dill pickle juice
- 1 1/2 tsp dried dill
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions, making sure to stop when the pasta is still al dente, about 8 minutes (depending on the pasta). Allow to cool entirely.
- While the pasta is cooling, whisk together mayo, milk, spices, and pickle juice. Pour over cooled pasta. Add all other ingredients and stir together until fully combined.
- Refrigerate at least 1 hour to let the flavors come together before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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