Tuna Pasta Salad, with a creamy dressing, albacore tuna, elbow macaroni, carrots, green peppers, onions, and kalamata olives, is a perfect meal for hot summer days! DELICIOUS!
I found this recipe in my trusty old recipe file box I’ve had for over 40 years. I used to write down recipes I had found on little 3×5 cards and file them in this old, beaten-up box.
Very recently I found this one for tuna pasta salad while looking through old recipes in that old box. Seriously… I have no idea WHERE I got the recipe from, because I didn’t write it down back in the day!
Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page
I added a couple ingredients to the original recipe and made it for lunch. YUM. This easy to make salad is not overpowered by the addition of canned albacore tuna… it actually is complimented by it!
Tuna Pasta Salad is perfect for hot summer days (or any time of the year, for that matter). Here’s how to make a simple Tuna Pasta Salad.
So HOW Do I Make Tuna Pasta Salad?
This salad is totally easy and very quick to make. In the time it takes to cook macaroni noodles, you can have everything ready to go.
Then all you need to do is mix ingredients, let it “chill” in the fridge for an hour or two, and you’ve got yourself a great little side dish or main dish salad. Here’s how easy it is to make:
In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, milk, lemon juice, mustard, dill weed, salt and pepper. Stir until sauce is smooth, then set it aside.
TIP: If you want to save a bit of time, I recommend making the sauce while the pasta is cooking.
Putting the Salad Together
Cook elbow macaroni according to package instructions. Once fully cooked transfer the noodles to a colander, rinse with cold water, drain and then transfer the pasta to a large bowl.
Add one can of albacore tuna (drained and flaked), a large carrot (shredded), finely chopped onion, chopped green peppers and sliced kalamata olives to the cooked pasta.
Pour the dressing over the salad and stir well, to fully mix everything together.
OOPS! Remember to add the chopped green pepper (I forgot!). Kept thinking the salad was missing something and realized I left them out. My bad. Gave it another stir, and salad was DONE!
Refrigerate The Salad Before Serving
Transfer the finished salad to a pretty serving bowl (preferably one that doesn’t have salad dressing smeared all over the sides from mixing the ingredients).
Cover the salad bowl with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for 1-2 hours for best results. This not only chills it very well but gives the flavors time to develop.
Serve The Tuna Pasta Salad
When you’re ready to serve, remove the salad from the refrigerator, remove the plastic wrap (because NO ONE wants to eat THAT!), grab a big old spoon or fork and dig in!
This tuna pasta salad is delicious and if stored in an airtight container it will keep for 3-4 days (covered) in the refrigerator.
I hope that you and those you love will really enjoy this simple and delicious tuna pasta salad. We sure do!
Thank you for stopping by, and I invite you to come back again soon for more family friendly recipes. Take care, may God bless you, and have a wonderful day.
Looking For More Side Dish SALAD Recipes?
You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have lots of great side dish salad recipes to choose from, including:
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↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓
- 3/4 cup light mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup low-fat milk
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon dill weed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 7 ounces elbow macaroni (4 cups cooked)
- 5.4 ounces albacore tuna (one can). drained, flaked
- 1 carrot (large) , shredded
- 1/4 cup white onion , finely chopped
- 1/4 cup green bell pepper , finely chopped
- 8 kalamata olives (or black) , sliced
- In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, milk, lemon juice, mustard, dill weed, salt and pepper. Stir until sauce is smooth. Set aside.
- Cook elbow macaroni according to package instructions. Once fully cooked, transfer to a colander, rinse with cold water, drain, and then transfer pasta to large mixing bowl.
Add albacore tuna, carrot, onion, green peppers and kalamata olives to the cooked, drained pasta. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir well, to mix everything together.
Cover salad with plastic wrap, and place in refrigerator for 1-2 hours. This not only chills the salad very well, it gives the flavors time to develop. When fully chilled, serve and enjoy!
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!