A pasta for tuna salad lovers, this recipe combines elements of a classic deli-style tuna salad with pasta, peas and fresh green herbs. Besides dinner, it makes for a hearty picnic side dish or lunch, and keeps well in the refrigerator for several days, making it ideal for start-of-the-week meal prep.
The tangy Greek yogurt dressing, flavored with lemon juice, mustard and garlic, comes together right in the serving bowl with the chopped celery and red onion that add crunch and color. Any small pasta shape works well here; just be sure to run the cooked pasta under cold water to cool it down before tossing with the dressing.
A few changes we made included reducing the amount of pasta from one pound down to 12 ounces; and increasing the quantity of tuna up to three 5-ounce jars. As a main you’ll get get 4 to 6 servings. As a side dish, at least double that.
The Hubs Hack: Shred a peeled carrot and add some diced radish for more color and nutrition. He even thinks mashing in an anchovy would provide some nice umami flavor. (I’m fine w/o the anchovy.)
A Pasta Salad for Tuna Lovers
Ingredients
- Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
- 12 oz. short pasta, such as small shells, orecchiette or elbow macaroniÂ
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt (at least 2 percent fat)
- 2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- 3 (5-oz.) cans or jarred tuna, drained
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- 1 cup small-diced celery (1 to 2 celery ribs)
- ½ cup chopped red onion
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh dill or parsley, plus more for serving
Directions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the directions on the package, then drain and rinse under cold running water. Drain well.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon juice, mustard, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Add the cooled, drained pasta and toss well.
- Add the tuna, peas, celery, red onion and dill and toss again.
- Add more salt and pepper to taste, garnish with additional fresh dill and serve. Tuna pasta salad will keep for up to 3 days, covered and refrigerated.
Adapted from a recipe by Lidey Heuck for NYTimes Cooking
Accounting for Taste 