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You need a chilled bowl of this Italian Seasoned Tuna Pasta Salad in your life! You have your perfectly cooked elbow noodles, chunky white albacore tuna, and the crunchiest veggies soaked with the best blend of Italian seasoning and dressing! Complete dinner in a bowl if you ask me!
Here’s a Gloriously Easy Salad Recipe Which Everyone Will Love!
This Tuna Pasta Salad will have your heart singing all kinds of music and, most importantly, satisfied! A bowl of this Tuna pasta salad includes your favorite veggies, tuna for protein, and pasta for your carbs!
This macaroni pasta salad also makes a great meal prep option and is excellent for a quick and less fancy dinner if you ask me 🙂 although some may consider this more of an appetizer!
A bit of a contrast from my tuna lunch board recipe, which is also a fun recipe to save!
Hands-down this is The Best Tuna Pasta Salad You’ll Ever Make!
You can call me lazy but this mama deserves to have a break from everything including cooking at times! Especially with homeschooling going on…whew! This right here lasts for a few days in the fridge as long as it is covered.
Just grab for it when you’re hungry and you are set.
Say Goodbye to Boring Salads!
Salads do not have to be boring! They are often associated with lettuce and croutons, but they can be so much more. Using the right ingredients, you can create an abundance of healthy, tasty, and delighting (lettuce free) salads.
Let’s take this healthy tuna pasta salad as an example. Overflowing with flavor, this bowl of goodness is filled with tuna, pasta, cabbage, bell peppers, purple cabbage, and Kalamata olives.
It’s delicious, quick, easy, and incredibly simple to make. Here we go!
What Is In this Tuna Pasta Salad?
This pasta salad is simple and delicious, just like most tuna recipes. With only two main ingredients, tuna and pasta, this dish is simple to prepare and ideal for a quick dinner or light lunch.
Tuna: Choose high-quality tuna packed in water to avoid making the rest of the salad oily. Make certain that it is thoroughly drained. I prefer solid white albacore tuna packed in water. The meat is hearty and rich, but has a pure and non-fishy flavor.
Pasta: A medium pasta shape, such as seashells or rotini, works well for this recipe because the ridges will grab the dressing and add a lot of flavor!
Celery: Celery adds a delightful crunch to this tasty pasta salad. Make sure it’s bright green and free of brown spots! You’ll want the best celery for this.
Purple Cabbage: Choose purple cabbages that have a maroonish-purple color. Check that the cabbage is firm to the touch on the outside.
Mixed Peppers: You can use all kinds of bell peppers in this recipe. The vibrant colors of bell peppers make this salad so appetizing!
Kalamata Olives: Choose large, dark brown Kalamata olives with a smooth, meaty texture.
What Is an Italian Seasoning?
Italian seasoning is a combination of herbs and spices used to flavor many Italian dishes. Ironically, it is not commonly found in traditional Italian cuisine or in Italian markets. You might wonder what is in it?
In general, oregano, basil, thyme, marjoram, and rosemary are the main herbs used in Italian seasonings. Some include parsley, red chili flakes and garlic powder for additional zest and flavor.
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Incredible Benefits of Tuna
Tuna is heart friendly. It contains omega-3 fatty acids that contribute to maintaining healthy blood vessels and reducing cholesterol levels in arteries.
It also lowers blood pressure since it is rich in potassium, which is known for lowering blood pressure.
Tuna also strengthens your bones since it contains Vitamin B which is a major component in strengthening bones.
Tuna also increases your metabolism rate and the functionality of your organs, keeping your body energetic, active, and healthy.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
The answer is YES! You can choose any kind of tuna you wish to use! As a matter of fact, I really enjoy adding imitation crab in here 😉 so get creative! If you are VEGAN, simply omit the tuna and sprinkle some flaxseed or hempseed for that added protein!
It can last for about 3-4 days MAX! It is best enjoyed fresh and longer than 3-4 days will make your veggies less crunchy and the pasta will be overly soggy.
Tuna pasta salad is traditionally served cold. However, if you wish to eat it warm, that is fine as well. Just toss the warm pasta into the dressing without rinsing with cold water.
Some great options to replace mayo with are low-fat Greek yogurt, avocado, pesto, and mustard.
Dried basil, thyme, oregano and garlic powder pair well with tuna!
Top Tips
Chop all of the ingredients into similar-sized pieces to make them easier to combine and eat.
Drizzle some good-quality extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) to coat this pepper pasta nicely and let its flavor shine.
If possible, use albacore tuna for this pasta salad recipe. It has a firmer texture and doesn’t have a fishy flavor.
To make this recipe gluten-free, just use gluten-free pasta (rice or chickpea are both delicious) in place of the traditional wheat pasta.
Adding hard-boiled eggs to tuna macaroni salad is also a great idea. Chop two hard-boiled eggs and mix them in at the end.
Tuna Pasta Salad Ingredients
- large seashell pasta
- celery/ chopped
- purple cabbage/ chopped
- mixed peppers/ chopped
- Kalamata olives/ chopped
- red onions/ vertically sliced, thin
- Italian seasoning/ dried
- red wine vinegar
- mayonnaise
- Italian dressing
- solid white albacore tuna in water, drained
- parsley /chopped for garnish
Just Follow these Simple Steps
First, prepare the pasta by following the package instructions. Strain, then add to a large bowl.
Next, drain the tuna, chop the ingredients, then add to bowl of pasta.
After that, add the remaining ingredients of seasonings and dressings.
Finally, mix then garnish with chopped parsley.
Enjoy right away or chill for 1-2 hours before enjoying.
More Pasta Recipes to Enjoy
- Gigi Hadid’s Viral Pasta Recipe
- Taco Mac & Cheese
- Roasted Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
- Turkey and Mac Sandwich
- Gigi Hadid’s Viral Pasta Recipe (Without the Vodka)
- Best Mac & Cheese Recipe
- Viral Air Fryer Pasta Chips
- Lemon Parmesan Spaghetti
- Pasta Salad Dressing
- Mediterranean Pasta
- Tomato Parmesan Spaghetti
- Rotini Crab Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms
Italian Seasoned Tuna Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 16 Oz package large seashell pasta
- 5 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 cup purple cabbage, chopped
- 1 cup mixed peppers, chopped
- ¼ cup Kalamata olives, chopped
- ¼ cup red onions, vertically sliced, thin
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning, dried
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 ½ cups Italian dressing
- 2 cans (5.1 oz) solid white albacore tuna, in water, drained
- Parsley, chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the pasta by following the package instructions. Strain then add to a large bowl.
- Drain the tuna, chop the ingredients then add to bowl of pasta. Add the remaining ingredients of seasonings and dressings.
- Mix then garnish with chopped parsley.
- Enjoy right away or chill for 1-2 hours before enjoying.
Tried and approved !! It’s a must try …thumbs up 👍👍👍👍
So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do! Thank you for the review 🙂
This tuna salad is def a keeper. Perfect for these HOT summer days. Anything I don’t have to turn the oven on is a blessing.😁
Totally agree!! It is on repeat in my home! 🙂
This looks really delicious and easy to make also.Thanks for sharing…. will be trying it soon and will let u know how it much we enjoyed it. 🙂
I have never made a tuna pasta salad in my life but was looking for quick meals for busy days and saw this. It is incredibly delicious and only took me a few minutes to prepare