🐟🎉 My quick and easy Tuna Pasta Salad Recipe is the BEST way to jazz up a can of tuna. Creamy, satisfying, and ready in less than 30 minutes, it’s satisfying and chock full of flavor. Made with common, inexpensive ingredients, it’s perfect for lunch and makes for a great dinner side dish!
Cold Tuna Pasta Salad
This creamy tuna pasta salad is so good that even those who don’t enjoy tuna ask for seconds! Here’s why it has remained a family and reader favorite for years:
- Not only is it easy and fast, but this pasta salad is also satisfying thanks to tender pieces of pasta and pieces of flaky tuna coated with a creamy, tangy dressing.
- All you need is a handful of basic fridge and pantry ingredients that you likely have on hand, making for an incredibly budget-friendly meal that’s perfect for meal prep.
- It’s also a very budget-friendly meal. With the price of groceries these days, I am in full support of being able to take advantage of less expensive meals when I can!
Serve it as it is, or alongside a piece of (leftover) grilled lemon chicken you may have for lunch, or as a great side dish for dinner with your favorite black bean burgers, or in colder months, pair it with a hearty soup, like my broccoli cheddar soup, and call it a day.
And if you’re a tuna salad lover, I’ve got this protein-packed Chickpea Tuna Salad recipe, too!
Ingredients in This Recipe
For this easy and fast tuna mayo pasta salad you’ll need the following ingredients.
Pasta Salad
- Cooked pasta: Use a small pasta shapes such as rotini, like I used, or elbow macaroni, small shells, wheels, bowtie, farfalle, penne, or your favorite. Substitute gluten-free pasta if needed
- Canned tuna: I prefer the newer packets of tuna (nothing to drain) or look for canned tuna in water. I use albacore tuna. You can use canned tuna packed in oil if that’s more your speed. Not a fan of tuna? You can really use any type of protein that you’d like, from canned salmon to canned chicken, grilled sriracha lime chicken, or grilled chimichurri fish. If you have shrimp on hand, my Shrimp Pasta Salad is a winner
- Peas: Use fresh or frozen peas (thaw and drain well if using frozen), or omit them
- Sweet pickle relish
- Seasoning salt: If you don’t have Lawry’s Seasoned Salt on hand, use a mix of onion powder and garlic powder
- Fresh or dried dill
- Fresh parsley, green onions, or fresh herbs: Optional for garnishing
Creamy Dressing
- Mayonnaise and sour cream: You can substitute the sour cream for thick Greek yogurt if you’d like. Don’t use regular yogurt! It’s too thin. You could likely use reduced-fat or lite versions of both the mayo and sour cream in this recipe, although I have only personally tested with full-fat
- Lemon juice: Fresh is best
- Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
Possible Variations
Feel free to include extra veggies or flavor boosters to make this tuna pasta salad your own.
- Cheese: Love shredded cheese? Add some shredded cheddar or crumbled feta.
- Veggies: Add to or swap the peas with carrots, diced celery, cucumber, zucchini, red onion, or bell pepper.
- Herbs: If you want a more herby flavor, add extra fresh dill, fresh basil, or mint.
How To Make Tuna Pasta Salad
- Boil the pasta just to al dente according to package instructions. Drain, rinse the cooked pasta with cold water, and add to a large bowl.
- Add the tuna, peas, relish, seasoning salt or spices, and dill.
- Whisk together all the dressing or sauce ingredients until smooth and creamy.
- Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients, and toss to coat all the ingredients.
- Cover and chill well before serving, and garnish with fresh parsley if desired.
what to serve with tuna pasta salad
Tuna Pasta Salad
Equipment
- 1 Medium Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 pound rotini pasta, or small-shaped pasta such as small shells, macaroni, wheels, bowtie, etc.
- 5 ounces water-packed tuna, drained, from one 5-ounce can or two 2.5-ounce packets
- ½ cup peas, I use frozen that I thaw and drain well; or fresh peas are fine
- ¼ cup sweet pickle relish
- 1 ¼ cups mayonnaise
- ¾ cup sour cream, thick Greek yogurt may be substituted
- 1 to 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 to 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons seasoning salt, such as Lawry’s or a mixture of onion powder and garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried dill, or 1 teaspoon fresh dill, finely minced
- Salt, as desired to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, as desired to taste
- Minced fresh parsley (or thinly sliced green onions), optional for garnishing, to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta to al dente according to package directions. Rinse pasta under cold water when done boiling to stop the cooking process. Drain well and add pasta to a large bowl. Tip – Add a tablespoon or so of olive oil to the pasta cooking water while it's boiling to help prevent sticking.
- Add the tuna, peas, pickle relish, and stir to combine. Set aside momentarily.
- To a medium bowl, add all the mayo, sour cream, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, seasoning salt, dill, and whisk to combine.
- Add the dressing to the pasta bowl and stir and toss to combine and coat evenly. Tip – If for some reason it's at all dry, or you want it extra creamy, feel free to add another tablespoon or two of mayo and/or sour cream, as desired. All brands of pasta/tuna will absorb the dressing a bit differently so you can tweak this as desired.
- Taste and as desired, add salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Tip – If the pasta salad tastes at all boring or dull, it likely needs more salt, so don't be afraid to add it. The same goes for pepper, but salt is more critical.
- You can serve it immediately, but I prefer to chill it covered for at least 30 minutes, and serve it chilled. Optionally garnish as desired before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Easy Pasta Salad Recipes:
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Shrimp Pasta Salad – 🍤🫛🌿 Tender pasta, juicy shrimp, crunchy celery, bell peppers, and peas are tossed in a creamy and tangy homemade dressing for zesty perfection! Great for summer gatherings to serve as a side salad or make it for a lighter yet satisfying stand alone meal for lunch or dinner! Very EASY and always a crowd FAVORITE!
BLT Pasta Salad — EASY, ready in 15 minutes, feeds a crowd, and PERFECT for potlucks and parties. Creamy ranch dressing perfectly coats the pasta and BACON. Guaranteed family FAVORITE!
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Basil Lemon Pasta Salad with Chicken — 🍋🥒🍅 This chicken pasta salad is loaded with flavor, ready in minutes, and showcases Mediterranean-inspired ingredients! It’s perfect for summer potlucks and barbecues (no mayo!) and feeds a crowd. Or make it as an EASY family dinner with planned leftovers!
Amish Pasta Salad — A family-favorite classic pasta salad recipe with al dente pasta, bell peppers, celery, red onions, and hard-boiled eggs tossed in a creamy tangy-sweet dressing!
Italian Chicken Pasta Salad — This Italian Chicken Pasta Salad is easy, ready in 20 minutes, and showcases some of my favorite summer ingredients. It’s perfect for summer potlucks and BBQs, or as a no-fuss family dinner!
Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad — The BEST version of a chicken Caesar salad because there’s tender pasta, too! EASY, ready in 20 minutes, makes a big batch, and a guaranteed family FAVORITE!
I loved the dressing! I used a 12 ounce can of water packed tuna. I felt there would be little tuna per serving with 5 ounces. The next time I will double the peas and add diced red onion. I used medium shell pasta and was pleased with it. I will make it again!
Thanks for trying the recipe, Judy, and I’m glad you loved the dressing and will make it again!
Enjoyed the flavor but the dressing was quickly absorbed causing it to be dry. I did add some finely chopped onions and celery would be good too. Will make more dressing to add to the leftovers. Very much enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for sharing!!
Thank you for trying the recipe, Dawn. Yes this is a drier pasta salad rather than really moist BUT if you like it moister, you can make more of the dressing for next time. I am making a few notes to the recipe right now to help others making it in the future. Thank you for your feedback!