Tuna Pasta Salad is one of the easiest summer side dishes you can make! Full of sweet peas, tangy mustard and white wine vinegar, crunchy celery and red onions… this is a tasty 2-step dish you’ll make over and over again!
With warm weather here and the kids out of school, I’m all about easy breezy summer meals.
I love breaking out the air fryer and the instant pot for easy family dinners. But in the summer, I especially love recipes that allow me to throw all of the ingredients together and go.
This recipe for tuna pasta salad fits the bill. Simply gather all of the ingredients, and mix together!
What you need to make tuna pasta salad
Once you gather all of the ingredients for this recipe, it’s super simple to put together.
- ditalini pasta – a small tube-like pasta. You could also use mini elbow macaroni or mini penne (and if you don’t read that in the voice of James Bond saying “Money Penny,” I would question our friendship)
- peas – added for some sweetness, color, and texture.
- celery – for a little added crunch!
- red onion – to add a little more crunch and also for depth of flavor.
- dill – this is my favorite herb with most seafood! You could also use parsley if you prefer.
- dijon mustard – just enough to give this salad some tangy flavor
- white wine vinegar – for just a little more tang, and also to keep the pasta from drying out.
- mayonnaise – I use Vegenaise, because I prefer the taste, but you can use your favorite store-bought mayo or homemade mayo.
- canned tuna – I use a 5 ounce can, which is enough tuna for me in this pasta salad. If you prefer more, go ahead and add more.
How to make this yummy summer side dish
One of the best things about this summer salad – besides the taste! – is how super EASY it is to make!
Simply cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and allow it to cool for about 5 minutes at room temperature.
Then add the remaining ingredients and stir together until the pasta is well coated and ingredients are well blended.
More easy summer recipes
Here are some easy summer recipes that would be delicious to serve along with this tuna pasta salad!
Grilled Shrimp Pineapple Skewers
Pineapple Mango Sorbet Recipe
Grilled Honey Garlic Chicken Skewers
Easy Shrimp Tacos
Tuna Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces ditalini pasta
- 1 cup peas
- 1/3 cup chopped celery
- 1/3 cup chopped red onion
- 2 teaspoons dill
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 1 can (5 ounces) tuna
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Cook the ditalini pasta according to package directions. Drain, place in a large bowl, and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl of pasta. Mix together until the pasta is well coated, the chunks of tuna are broken up and spread throughout the pasta, and the remaining ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
- Serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to one day before serving at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I love these old classics. I made it today and will wait for it to be chilled before digging in. Didn’t have dijon so I used regular yellow mustard and added a little Lawry’s Lemon Pepper to it as well a long with about 1/2 cup of diced dill pickles. Good stuff.
I’m now 81 but remember going w my Grandma to gather w several other elderly farm ladies on Saturday afternoons after they did their weekly shopping errands. They’d meet at someone’s house in town for “coffee,” always quite a spread! A tuna salad like this was usually included. Loved it !
Love how easy this is to make! A must make side for summer cookouts!
This pasta salad is great and I am so happy I found a fun recipe for the ditalini I had sitting in the cubpoard.
I love simple recipes like this! My kids love Tuna. I am going to make this for lunch today.
I had all of these pantry staple ingredients on hand so this was so easy to whip up. Thank you! I am having it for lunch today.
Love the crunch from celery. This is a delicious salad that is simple to make. Going to have to make it again this weekend :) Thanks for the recipe.