Tuna Pasta Salad

By Lidey Heuck

Published May 12, 2025

  • Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
35 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Rating
5(1,085)
Comments
Read comments

A pasta for tuna salad lovers, this recipe combines elements of a classic deli-style tuna salad with pasta, peas and fresh green herbs. It makes for a hearty picnic side dish or lunch, and keeps well in the refrigerator for several days, making it ideal for start-of-the-week meal prep. Chopped celery and red onion add crunch and color, and the tangy Greek yogurt dressing, flavored with lemon juice, mustard and garlic, comes together right in the serving bowl. Any small pasta shape works well here; just be sure to run the cooked pasta under cold water to cool it down before tossing with the dressing.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 to 10 servings

  • Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper

  • 1 pound short pasta, such as small shells or elbow macaroni 

  • ½ cup mayonnaise

  • ½ cup plain Greek yogurt (at least 2 percent fat)

  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 

  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder

  • 1 (7-ounce) can or jar tuna, drained

  • 1 cup frozen peas, thawed

  • 1 cup small-diced celery (1 to 2 celery ribs)

  • ½ cup chopped red onion

  • ¼ cup finely chopped fresh dill or parsley, plus more for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 to 10 servings)

38 grams carbs; 14 milligrams cholesterol; 295 calories; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 11 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 286 milligrams sodium; 12 grams protein; 3 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the directions on the package, then drain and rinse under cold running water. Drain well.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon juice, mustard, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Add the cooled, drained pasta and toss well.

  3. Step 3

    Add the tuna, peas, celery, red onion and dill and toss again.

  4. Step 4

    Add more salt and pepper to taste, garnish with additional fresh dill and serve. Tuna pasta salad will keep for up to 3 days, covered and refrigerated.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
1,085 user ratings
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Comments

Lisa Beers

I used albacore packed in water, added some thinly sliced radish for color and crunch, used LOTS of salt and pepper and a spoon of dill relish for added zest. Good salad better on day 2!

Mel

This is very much like why I’ve been making for years (using canned tuna). I prefer water packed tuna and I strain the liquid into the dressing. Why waste the flavor, and it keeps the salad from drying out as quickly.

Rachel

So I didn't add the yogurt or the lemon and I added a tsp of curry powder. It was amazing!!!

Carol

We made the recipe as written and it was very good. We narrowly avoided adding the water left in the tuna can to the mayo-yogurt mixture. That would have been a bad mistake. The mayo-yogurt is a mixture of their own.

Kwilter in New Jersey

We don't use oil-packed tuna because it gives us heartburn and fish burps. Water packed only for us.

Hedy

I used lemon torchietti for the pasta, added a big spoonful of hot bomba Italian pepper sauce, fresh peas instead of frozen quickly blanched, swapped in a shallot instead of a red onion, used dill pickle mayo (it's what I had in the fridge), picked dill and chives for the herbs, and at the suggestion of other reviewers, did two cans of tuna with some of the water added to the dressing. I could eat the whole bowl of it! Happy for the purists who never modify a recipe, but if I'm eating it, YOLO.

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