This recipe is designed to closely match the creamy tuna pasta salad in your photo: creamy, slightly tangy, crunchy, colorful, and packed with tuna, corn, vegetables, and pasta.
Yield
- Servings: 6
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cooking time: 10–12 minutes
- Chilling time: 30–60 minutes
- Total: about 1 hour
- Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
Pasta & Tuna
- 400 g (14 oz) elbow macaroni or shell pasta
- 2 cans tuna, about 140 g / 5 oz each drained weight
- ¾ cup sweet corn, drained
- ½ cup red bell pepper, finely diced
- ½ cup red onion, finely diced
- ¼ cup green onion, finely sliced
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped
Creamy Dressing
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1½ tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp pickle juice or white vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar or honey
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp salt, or to taste
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Optional additions
- ¼ cup finely diced cucumber
- ¼ cup diced celery
- 2 tbsp sweet pickle relish
- ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1–2 tbsp chopped jalapeño for heat
Nuts
Nuts are not required for this recipe, and the pictured salad doesn’t appear to contain nuts.
If you’d like crunch, you can add:
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts, or
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
For a nut-free version, simply leave them out. If you’re cooking for someone with a nut allergy, check the labels of the mayonnaise, tuna, pasta, and other packaged ingredients for allergen/cross-contact warnings.
Detailed Method
1. Cook the pasta
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Add 400 g pasta and cook according to the package directions until al dente.
Don’t overcook it—the pasta will soften slightly as it sits in the dressing.
Drain and rinse briefly under cold water to stop the cooking.
Let it drain very well.
2. Prepare the tuna
Drain the tuna thoroughly.
Place it in a large bowl and gently break it into bite-sized pieces with a fork.
Don’t mash it into a paste—you want visible pieces of tuna throughout the salad.
3. Prepare the vegetables
Dice:
- Red bell pepper
- Red onion
- Cucumber, if using
- Celery, if using
Slice the green onion and chop the parsley/cilantro.
Drain the corn thoroughly.
4. Make the creamy dressing
In a separate bowl, whisk together:
¾ cup mayonnaise + ½ cup sour cream/Greek yogurt + 1 tbsp Dijon mustard + 1½ tbsp lemon juice + 1 tbsp pickle juice + 1 tsp honey/sugar + garlic powder + onion powder + salt + black pepper.
Taste it.
For a more tangy salad → add lemon juice.
For a sweeter salad → add another ½ tsp honey/sugar.
For a sharper flavor → add a little more Dijon mustard.
5. Combine everything
Put the cooled pasta into a large mixing bowl.
Add:
- Tuna
- Corn
- Red pepper
- Red onion
- Green onion
- Herbs
Pour the dressing over everything.
Fold gently until the pasta and vegetables are evenly coated.
6. Chill
Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
1 hour is even better.
The pasta absorbs some of the dressing while chilling, so the flavors become more developed.
7. Final adjustment
After chilling, stir the salad.
If it seems dry, add 2–3 tbsp mayonnaise or Greek yogurt.
Taste and adjust salt, pepper, lemon juice, or mustard.
Approximate Nutrition
Per serving, assuming 6 servings and the basic recipe:
- Calories: ~430–470 kcal
- Protein: ~18–22 g
- Carbohydrates: ~45–50 g
- Fat: ~20–24 g
- Fiber: ~2–3 g
- Sugar: ~4–6 g
- Sodium: ~600–850 mg
Actual nutrition varies considerably depending on the tuna, mayonnaise, pasta, and amount of salt used.
To make it lighter
Replace:
- ½ cup mayonnaise → ½ cup Greek yogurt
- Use ½ cup mayonnaise + ¾ cup Greek yogurt for the whole dressing.
This substantially reduces the fat while keeping the salad creamy.
To increase protein
Use:
- 2½–3 cans tuna
- Greek yogurt instead of sour cream
- Optional boiled eggs
To make it nut-free
Use no walnuts or almonds and check packaged ingredients for “may contain nuts” warnings.
Best version for the pictured result
Use shell or elbow pasta + tuna + corn + red pepper + red onion + green onion + mayonnaise + sour cream + Dijon + lemon juice. Chill it for an hour, then add a small spoonful of dressing before serving if the pasta has absorbed too much.
With years of experience in restaurant research and local SEO, Sara creates accurate, user-friendly guides that work for both people and search engines. Her goal is to help users go from search results to their nearest restaurant or menu choice with as few clicks as possible.
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