Creamy Tuna Pasta Salad Recipe

Tuna pasta salad is one of my favorite fool-proof recipes. With just a few ingredients and a few minutes, you’ll have the perfect side dish for a family gathering, or lunch for the work week!

One of the first few side dishes that come to mind when someone mentions a cookout or family gathering is tuna pasta salad. Not sure why this dish is what I think of (maybe cuz I love noods), but this recipe most certainly the most effort-less one to make with an amazing flavor!

How to make tuna pasta salad

So simple to put this one together.

Your pasta of choice (usually macaroni) is fully cooked according to package directions. Once cooked, the pasta will need to be cooled down by either running it under cool water or sitting it in an ice bath. You’ll need to make sure the pasta is completely strained after cooling.

While the pasta is cooking, you’ll combine the tuna salad ingredients, seasoning to your taste. 

Finally, combine the tuna salad with the cooled pasta. Boom…you just made tuna pasta salad!!!

The pasta salad can be served immediately. However, this is one of those recipes that taste much better a day later. If I’m running short on time, I make sure to at least let this sit in the fridge for an hour before serving.

Type of canned tuna to use for tuna salad

You can honestly use any brand and type of canned tuna you can get your hands on!

My preference though is chunk tuna. The chunks can be broken up more if preferred, but I like the bigger chunks of the tuna in my tuna salad.

Canned tuna will come packed in either water or oil. Again, it’s up to you which one you go with. Out of habit though, I go with the water option. The tuna will get mixed with mayo, so using tuna in oil isn’t necessary. And of course, the water packed tuna is a bit healthier since it isn’t sitting in oil. 

Which pasta should I use for tuna pasta salad?

When choosing the best pasta to use for tuna salad, you’ll want to go with one that’s a shorter noodle. The chunks of tuna are small, so you want to use a smaller noodle vs a longer one. While macaroni is always the safer bet, you can get fancy and use one of the following:

• Rotini
• Shell 
• Farfalle (aka bowtie)
• Cavatappi (aka corkscrew)
• Orecchiette
• Fusilli

Long story short….any pasta you’d use to make a batch of mac n cheese is perfect for tuna pasta salad!

Should I add eggs to tuna pasta salad?

You can most certainly add hard boiled eggs to your tuna macaroni salad! I did not use any for this recipe, but 2-3 hard boiled eggs is a good amount to use for this recipe.

The addition of eggs is a perfect addition for added protein with the already protein-packed tuna! 

Other uses for tuna salad

I’ve omitted the pasta from this recipe and used the tuna salad for sandwiches. It makes the perfect tuna melt!

After making the tuna mixture, simply toast your bread of choice, add the tuna salad, top with your cheese of choice, and quickly melt under a broiler.

Even without a toaster available, this will taste great as a cold sandwich too!

Tuna pasta salad shelf life

While this does not last long in my house, tuna macaroni salad will usually last up to a week. Store in your fridge in an airtight container. 

Hope you get a chance to test out my tuna macaroni pasta salad! It’s definitely one of my favorite recipes! 

If you need another simple recipe for a gathering, check out my Garlic Parmesan Grilled Corn.