Tuna Pasta Salad for the table

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, We'm all about simple breezy summer meals.

We love breaking out the air fryer and the instant pot for simple family dinners. But in the summer, We 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," We 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 the favorite herb with most seafood! You could also use parsley if you prefer.
dijon mustard – simply enough to give this salad some tangy flavor
white wine vinegar – for simply a little more tang, and also to keep the pasta from drying out.
mayonnaise – We use Vegenaise, because We prefer the taste, but you can use your favorite store-bought mayo or homemade mayo.

canned tuna – We 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 simple summer recipes

Here are some simple summer recipes that would be tasty to serve along with this tuna pasta salad!

Tuna Pasta Salad

By Marlynn Schotland Prep Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 15 mins Servings: 4 Mix all of the ingredients together and you've got an simple, tasty summer side salad for dinner, BBQs, and picnics!

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

If you are making this a day ahead of serving: be sure to mix the ingredients again after taking the bowl out of the refrigerator. Because refrigeration can dry out the pasta salad, you may need to add a little bit of white wine vinegar, mayonnaise, and/or mustard to re-add moisture to the pasta salad. This tuna pasta salad will keep for up to 3-5 days in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

Calories: 439 kcal, Carbohydrates: 49 g, Protein: 10 g, Fat: 22 g, Saturated Fat: 3 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 13 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5 g, Trans Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 12 mg, Sodium: 232 mg, Potassium: 269 mg, Fiber: 4 g, Sugar: 4 g, Vitamin A: 340 IU, Vitamin C: 16 mg, Calcium: 32 mg, Iron: 1 mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.