This tuna macaroni salad is a delicious side dish that's great for holidays and cookouts. Plus, it also makes a fantastic lunch. It’s made with budget-friendly ingredients, and comes together quickly, making it a handy and tasty option for any occasion.
With its creamy dressing, tender pasta, and flavorful tuna, this salad is sure to be a hit. Not only is it delicious, but it's also easy to prepare ahead of time, leaving you free to enjoy the party. What I like to do is to keep the pasta salad and the dressing separate until a few minutes before using. That way it is extra creamy when served.
If you’re looking for more easy sides to serve up this season, be sure to check out our potato egg salad, a perfect mix of creamy potatoes and hard-boiled eggs. Another crowd-pleaser is our coleslaw recipe, and this spaghetti salad is a light and flavorful option that's perfect for any gathering.
Ingredients
- Macaroni – Elbow macaroni or other short pasta like ditalini, small shells, etc. can be used.
- Tuna – We use a combination of light tuna and albacore but if the tuna is packed in water it works, use your favorite.
- Eggs
- Produce – Celery, onion, lemon (for the juice). For the onion we use yellow, but white or red can be substituted.
- Condiments – Mayonnaise, yellow or Dijon mustard, and sweet pickle relish.
- Spices – Salt and black pepper.
- Garnish – Parsley and lettuce or greens for serving (optional)
- See the recipe card for quantities and preparation.
Instructions
The only cooking you need to do for this easy cold pasta salad is making the macaroni and boiling the eggs, and they need to cool before putting the salad together. Start with the eggs, and while they're cooking and cooling, make the macaroni. Gather the ingredients and whip up the dressing while you wait. Refrigerate each component as you finish preparing it.
Cook the eggs and macaroni
- Place the eggs in a medium saucepan and cover them with water. Place the pan over high heat and bring the water to a full boil.
- Once the water is boiling vigorously, turn off the heat, cover the pan, and let the eggs sit for 10 minutes.
- Drain the water and rinse the eggs with cold water. When they are cool enough to handle, peel and dice (or chop) them.
- Cook macaroni according to package directions for firm. If the directions on the package are for al dente, cook them a minute longer. Use a colander to drain and then immediately rinse with cold water until cool.
Cook’s note
Rinsing pasta with cold water stops the carryover cooking. Normally, I don't rinse pasta because we want it starchy, so the sauce sticks to it, as with this pasta sauce with squash. However, in this case, we want to cool it quickly to make the pasta salad.
Transfer the macaroni to a large bowl. Add the tuna, celery, and onion. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. When the eggs are peeled and chopped, add them to the bowl as well. Re-cover and refrigerate.
Make the dressing
Add the mayonnaise, mustard, sweet pickle relish, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to a bowl. Stir with a fork or small whisk until smooth.
If you are not using it right away, refrigerate the dressing until you are ready to assemble the pasta salad.
Finish the pasta salad
Pour the dressing over the macaroni and other ingredients, then stir well until everything is coated and combined. It’s best to use a silicone spatula to stir and toss to avoid tearing the pasta and eggs.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate until the macaroni tuna salad is chilled. Serve on a bed of greens and garnish with parsley, if desired.
Storing instructions
Keep the tuna macaroni salad chilled until ready to serve. Refrigerate leftovers as soon as possible and don’t leave them out longer than 2 hours (only 1 hour if it is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit). Discard leftovers that have been at room temperature longer than that.
If handled properly, store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Freezing is not recommended.
For more information on food storage and safety guidelines visit U.S. Department of Agriculture and foodsafety.gov.
Newsletter
Subscribe to our Newsletter for the latest recipes and more.
📖 Recipe
Tuna Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Elbow Macaroni cooked to package directions, drained, and cooled (other short pasta can also be used)
- 2 Hard Boiled Eggs peeled and diced or chopped
- 10 ounces Tuna in water drained and stirred to break up large pieces (we use half light tuna and half albacore)
- 1 Celery Rib finely diced (about ¼ cup)
- 2 tablespoons Finely Diced Onion use yellow, white, or red depending on your taste
- 1¼ cup Mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons Mustard we used yellow mustard, but Dijon works well
- 1 tablespoon Sweet Pickle Relish
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- ½ teaspoon Salt plus 1 tablespoon for the macaroni cooking water (extra at the end if needed)
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1-2 teaspoons Chopped Parsley for garnish optional
- Lettuce or greens for serving optional
Instructions
Cook the eggs
- Place the eggs in a medium saucepan and cover them with water. Place the pan over high heat and bring the water to a full boil.
- Once the water is boiling vigorously, turn off the heat, cover the pan, and let the eggs sit for 10 minutes.
- Drain the water and rinse the eggs with cold water. When they are cool enough to handle, peel and dice (or chop) them.
Cook the macaroni
- Cook macaroni according to package directions for firm. If the directions on the package are for al dente, cook them a minute longer. Use a colander to drain and then immediately rinse with cold water until cool.
- Drain the pasta well and transfer it to a bowl. Add the tuna, celery, and onion. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. When the eggs are peeled and chopped, add them too. Re-cover and refrigerate.
Make the dressing
- In the meantime, make the dressing. Add the mayonnaise, mustard, sweet pickle relish, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to a bowl. Stir with a fork or small whisk until smooth.
- If you are not using it right away, refrigerate the dressing until you are ready to assemble the pasta salad.
Finish the pasta salad
- Pour the dressing over the macaroni and other ingredients, then stir well until everything is coated and combined. It’s best to use a silicone spatula to stir and toss to avoid tearing the pasta and eggs.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate until the macaroni tuna salad is chilled. Serve on a bed of greens and garnish with parsley, if desired.
Notes
- Cook the eggs first so you can prep the other ingredients while they cook and cool.
- Don’t overcook the pasta. Cook until it is firm but no longer al dente.
- Cool the macaroni quickly after draining. Run it under cold water to stop the cooking. Use a colander to drain it well.
Nutrition
The nutritional information above is computer generated and is only an estimate. There is no guarantee that it is accurate. This data is provided as a courtesy for informational purposes only.
Leave a Reply