Tuna Pasta Salad

4.79 from 41 votes

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This creamy Tuna Pasta Salad is tangy, crunchy, oniony, and delightful! Perfect for a healthy lunch, light dinner, or snack to store in the fridge. The same goes for my Macaroni Salad! Great to bring to a potluck to share or keep it to yourself at home, anytime of the year!

top view of tuna pasta salad on two plates

Perfect Anytime!

Let’s talk easy dinners and Tuna Pasta Salad, shall we?

Pasta and tuna together are amazing with dill pickles, peas, and a few other yummy things. This is perfect for snacking, perfect for lunch, perfect for a picnic, basically perfect for any occasion. I thoroughly enjoyed eating this entire bowl.

ingredients on a chopping board

Helpful Ingredient Tips

Sometimes a particular form of an ingredient is better than another when used in a recipe. Here are a few that I have found with this Tuna Pasta Salad.

  • Mini Bowtie Pasta – I love using mini bowtie pasta for this recipe because with every bite you get the perfect balance of ingredients. No huge chunks of pickle, pasta, or red onion. However, you can use whatever pasta you have on hand (probably not spaghetti, fettuccine, or lasagna noodles though).
  • Frozen Peas – if you don’t have frozen peas, you can use canned peas. Just be sure to drain them well. If fresh peas are in season, that would be the BEST choice of course.
  • Red Onion – or white onion. Although I love the taste of raw red onion, you can replace it with white onion, if desired.
  • Dill Pickle – please please please use dill pickles and not sweet pickles. This makes a huge difference.
  • Tuna – I used albacore packed in water but feel free to use what you have. And don’t forget to drain it!

Variations – Make This Salad Your Own

Feel free to change up this recipe to make it your own! Here are a couple of ideas from some of my readers who adapted their Tuna Pasta Salads:

  • Cut Out the Mayonnaise – to cut out some of the mayo, go half and half with unsweetened plain greek yogurt. This makes this recipe a little more healthy.
  • Replace Dill Pickles – don’t like dill pickles? One of my reader’s replaced them with green olives and capers and another replaced it with artichoke hearts! However, if you’re just looking for the crunch without the pickle flavor, try celery.
  • More Protein – looking to add more protein to your dish? Consider adding a can of cannellini beans or garbanzo beans.
  • Replace Tuna – this might be a little sacrilege, but if you happen not to like tuna, you can still enjoy this recipe by replacing it with shredded chicken.
cooked bowtie pasta with peas

How to Make Tuna Pasta Salad

For full details on how to make Tuna Pasta Salad, see the recipe card down below. Here is what you can expect while making this salad.

Prep Ingredients

Prepare ingredients by dicing red onion and dill pickles.

Cook Pasta + Peas

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Salt the water and cook pasta until al dente. Stir in frozen peas and cook for 30 seconds.

Drain pasta and peas. If you want room-temperature pasta salad, don’t rinse. If you want cold pasta salad, rinse with cold water.

Mix Remaining Ingredients

In a large bowl, stir cooked pasta and peas together with remaining ingredients until everything is evenly coated in sauce {made from mayonnaise and lemon juice}.

Serve or Refrigerate

Serve or refrigerate covered until ready to serve.

adding dill and red onions to tuna pasta salad

Storing Tuna Pasta Salad

Store any leftover Tuna Pasta Salad in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days! The longer it sits the better it tastes. Perfect as lunch, as a snack, or as a side dish!

Freezing or Make Ahead – I don’t recommend freezing this salad because of the mayo- it doesn’t thaw and remix very well. You can make this salad ahead of time (the day before) before you need it and store in the fridge until ready to serve.

scooping tuna pasta salad out of pit with a wooden spoon

Love Tuna? Check Out These Other Recipes:

tuna pasta salad on a white plate

More Pasta Salad Recipes to Try!

If you liked this Tuna Pasta Salad you’re going to love my other pasta salad recipes!

The printable recipe card is down below, have a great day, friends! 🙂

tuna pasta salad on a white plate
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4.79 from 41 votes

Tuna Pasta Salad

This creamy Tuna Pasta Salad Recipe is tangy, crunchy, oniony, and delightful! Perfect for a healthy lunch, light dinner, or snack to store in the fridge. 
servings 6 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 lb mini bowtie pasta
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1/2 cup red onion diced, or white onion
  • 3/4 cup dill pickle diced
  • 10 oz tuna (two 5 oz cans) drained, I used albacore tuna packed in water
  • 1/2 lemon juiced
  • 1 cup real mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon dried dill
  • salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Prepare ingredients by dicing red onion and dill pickles.
    ingredients on a chopping board
  • Bring a large pot of water to boil. Salt the water and cook pasta until al dente. Stir in frozen peas and cook for 30 seconds.
    adding peas to water and pasta
  • Drain pasta and peas. If you want room-temperature pasta salad, don't rinse. If you want cold pasta salad, rinse with cold water.
    cooked bowtie pasta with peas
  • In a large bowl, stir cooked pasta and peas together with remaining ingredients until everything is evenly coated in sauce {made from mayonnaise and lemon juice}. Serve or refrigerate covered until ready to serve.
    close up of adding dill and red onions to tuna pasta salad

Nutrition

Calories: 618kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 630mg | Potassium: 272mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 405IU | Vitamin C: 23.8mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 2.9mg
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Tuna Pasta Salad
4.79 from 41 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




71 Responses
  1. 50 (more!) School Lunch Ideas – Seasonal Recipes

    […] Tuna Pasta Salad with Dill & Peas: seems a little strange, but this is one of my kids favorite pasta salads ever! The tuna isn’t super strong and the dill and peas certainly make it extra tasty! […]

    1. Lauren

      Since I don’t have any nutritional info listed, I’m assuming you’re using a food calculator for something like this?! You can divide this into however many servings you’d like. I would think 6 servings would be about right.

  2. Fancy Chicken & Pecan Pasta Salad | Lauren's Latest

    […] if this kind of pasta salad isn’t your thing, then this one would be a good second choice. It’s blowing up on pinterest right […]

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    […] dinner, I packed this tuna pasta salad, some cut up veggies, a few clementines and these Parmesan-Encrusted Chicken Tenders from […]

  4. becky

    can you please double check servings….i think 2 cans of tuna plus 1 pound of pasta plus extras will give more servings than 4….thanks

  5. 200 Cheap and Easy Salad Recipes | Prudent Penny Pincher

    […] Tuna Pasta Salad with Dill & Peas from Lauren’s Latest […]

  6. Molly

    5 stars
    Thank you, Pinterest for showing me this recipe! I needed a quick salad from pantry ingredients for a funeral at church tomorrow. These were my changes: regular tuna instead of albacore, the zest and juice of a whole lemon, 2 T fresh dill since it is wonderful now, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp. white pepper and one drained can of garbanzo beans. It is delicious now but by tomorrow when the flavours ‘marry’ it will be phenomenal. Thank you, Lauren!

  7. Sink Your Teeth Into These 67 Pasta Salad Recipes

    […] doesn’t love a good tuna and pasta combo? Lauren’s Latest has actually shared her recipe for Tuna Pasta Salad with Dill and Peas. […]

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    […] doesn’t love a good tuna and pasta combo? Lauren’s Latest has actually shared her recipe for Tuna Pasta Salad with Dill and Peas. […]

  9. Gaby

    5 stars
    I had fresh dill that I wanted to use while still fresh and somehow came across this recipe, and I’m so glad I did! I had all the ingredients on hand including some fabulous kosher dill pickles… Although the recipe calls for dried dill, the fresh dill was phenomenal, and I loved the addition of the diced pickle. This recipe is delicious.I plan to make it again and might even add a little more diced dill pickle next time. Thanks for sharing.

  10. Stacy

    5 stars
    Hi Lauren, I have been following your blog for quite a while now and when I need a simple, delicious and quick recipe, I come to your blog. This recipe is one of my staples; I love this for a light lunch. My husband doesn’t like tuna though and I had some fresh peas from my garden the other day so I made this with fresh peas and shredded chicken, so good. My husband gave it his stamp of approval. Thank you for the wonderful recipes you come up with and you are always hilarious, I always look forward to seeing new posts from you.

  11. Mirlandra @ Mirlandra's Kitchen

    Yum! I could wrap my head around this no problem. I love hot tuna and pasta. A cold version sounds excellent. Thanks!

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    […] mmm…Jennifer Lopez wheat noodles, less mayo. Yummmmmm[More at the Source] […]

  13. YUM YUM! | Chasing Dreams & Flingin' Beans

    […] Source: https://laurenslatest.com/tuna-pasta-salad-with-dill-peas/ […]

  14. Tuna Pasta Salad | Aly's Healthy Motivation

    […] not be enough to get a good coating but it worked rather well.  You can find the original recipe here or here is the recipe for the variation that I […]

  15. Heidi

    5 stars
    I made this for dinner tonight and everyone, including the toddler, loved it. It’s so perfect for quick weeknight dinners. We’ll definitely make it again!

  16. Amanda

    5 stars
    Lauren, I just made this and it is delicious! It was the perfect meal for me to make on a night when you don’t want to go out or spend a lot of time in the kitchen! I managed to have all of the ingredients in my pantry too. Thanks for this great meal idea! 🙂

  17. Tuna Pasta Salad with Dill and Peas - Can Cook, Will Travel

    […] can be found at the site Lauren’s Latest here.) Step by Step Instructions: This delightful Tuna Pasta Salad with Dill and Peas is crazy good and […]

  18. Lauren @ Dallas Duo Bakes

    Wow, that does sound easy! You know what, I’ve never had tuna and pasta together! I can’t wait to try this!!!

  19. Kylene

    Love Racer Tanks, Signature Hoodie, and the Go Long Crews!! I just started a new work-out program and new clothes would be GREAT!! 🙂

  20. Alicia

    Looks GREAT! Any suggestions about using greek yogurt instead of mayo? Half and half? All the way? Definitely might be making this tonight!

    1. Pat

      5 stars
      Delicious! I made this with cavatappi pasta and a couple of small salmon fillets that I had frozen when leftover. This got raves from the whole family! Definitely a keeper. Can only imagine how it might be even better if left for the flavours to develop more. Too late – we scarfed it down.

  21. Nanette

    My favorite is the sweet stripe zip in coral/gray. I live in the Portland area too and can always use a jacket. This one is really stylish and could be used for workout or casual dress…

  22. Tieghan

    Yes! I love this 15 minute pasta! Tuna and pasta is one of my favorites!

    Have fun with that cute as can be little one!

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