If you need a side dish with tons of flavor, that’s easy to make, and want something a little unique, this is the recipe for you. This Tuna Pasta Salad with Creamy Lemon Dressing is fresh, protein packed, and uses simple pantry ingredients. Bright green peas, and finish it off with a creamy lemon dressing made of half Greek yogurt and half mayonnaise with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese to finish it off.
This is the perfect pasta salad recipes for holidays, baby showers, beach days, lunch prep, and just to have in the refrigerator when you don’t feel like cooking.
Tuna Pasta Salad Recipe
When I made this recipe, I wanted to make it super bright and fresh. There’s a fair amount of tuna pasta salad recipes on the internet, what makes this one the best recipe is the simple fresh flavors, combined with the creamy lemon dressing.
The fresh and bright citrus pairs so well with the tuna, the crisp celery, the bright green peas, and the parmesan really finishes it off. It almost reminds me of a refrigerated Alfredo pasta (is that a thing? if it’s not, I’ll work on that, too). I add a little finish off fresh dill on top for color and added flavor. You could add more chopped dill to the dressing if you like the flavor.
Ingredients for Tuna Pasta Salad with Creamy Lemon Dressing:
- Pasta
- I use ditalini. I like using a smaller shaped pasta for pastas salads. You could also use orzo, shells, macaroni noodles, etc.
- Tuna
- I use Costco albacore in water. You could also use any canned fish (salmon, etc). Here’s a great article to help you decide which kind to buy.
- Celery
- Peas
- Frozen, and canned. I like to add them with the pasta before I strain, it cooks them quickly and efficiently without overcooking them, resulting in a bright green color.
- Parmesan Cheese
- Shaved is my favorite. Feta cheese also works great in this dish!
- Creamy Lemon Dressing
- This is a simple mixture of Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon zest, lemon juice, granulated garlic, salt and pepper. It’s a simple dressing that works in so many ways! We actually used the base recipe for our lemon dill sauce, we just leave the dill out (however if you like the flavor of fresh dill, add it!).
How to Make Tuna Pasta Salad
This recipe is simple to make and if you have your ingredients ready, you can really make it from start to finish in about 20 minutes. The most time consuming part is boiling the pasta, but use that time to do your prep to save a few more minutes for the most efficient method.
- Boil pasta according to package instructions
- While pasta is boiling, chop celery, and make lemon dressing. Add to a bowl with drained tuna.
- Once the pasta is fully cooked, add peas to boiling water, and let sit for about 30 seconds.
- Drain the pasta and peas in a colander, and rinse continuously with cool water until pasta and peas are cooled down. Be sure to get as much excess water out of the pasta and peas as possible.
- Combine pasta, peas, tuna, celery, parmesan, and lemon dressing in a large bowl, and toss to combine.
- Top with dill and extra parmesan if needed. Serve & enjoy!
Serving Suggestions, Make Ahead Instructions & Storage for This Recipe
- Serving: Being that this recipe already has all the elements (starch, protein, vegetables) it is a pretty well balanced stand alone dish. It is great with a side of grilled lemon chicken, especially on a summer night. I’ve also served a couple scoops of it over a garden salad for an easy lunch. Sometimes I’ll keep a side of the lemon dressing to add a little more to it before serving it, just so it isn’t dry.
- Make Ahead: This is the perfect recipe for when you need to make something ahead of time. You can make this up to 24 hours in advance and store it in the refrigerator. I would strongly suggest making additional lemon dressing to add to it before serving though, the pasta can soak it up.
- Storage: This recipe stores well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Place it in a glass bowl, with plastic wrap over it for the best results.
More Pasta Salad Recipes
I love easy pasta salad recipes for the sake of just having something ready to go in my refrigerator. These are some more easy pasta salad recipes we love.
If you are looking for more recipes that use tuna, we also love this seared ahi tuna, Hawaiian style poke, and this Greek tuna salad.
What do you think about this recipe? Have questions? Comment below! Don’t forget to like us on Facebook, and connect with us on Instagram and tag your @Laughingspatula recipes with #laughingspatula. We love to see your pics!
Cheers to easy and fresh meals! – Kathi and Rachel
Tuna Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups ditalini pasta
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 5 oz cans of albacore tuna (drained well)
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup celery (diced)
- fresh dill (optional, to garnish)
Lemon Dressing
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Boil 2 cups dry ditalini according to package directions. When pasta is fully cooked, add frozen peas to pasta & water on stove. Allow to sit for 30 seconds before removing from heat and draining.
- Rinse pasta and pea mixture under cool water in colander, and continue to rinse until fully cool. Shake to dry, and use a paper towel if needed to remove excess moisture.
- While pasta is boiling, mix together ingredients for creamy lemon dressing in a small bowl. Set aside.
- To a large mixing bowl, add cooled/drained pasta & pea mixture, drained tuna, diced celery, & parmesan cheese, along with creamy lemon dressing. Toss to combine.
- Garnish with additional parmesan and fresh dill if desired. Store in the refrigerator, serve and enjoy.
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