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1 Comment Looking for an easy dish to make during the hot summer months? This cold pasta salad with tuna is a great example of one of my favorite pasta salads.
Cold pasta salad with tuna
In hot weather, you don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen and you certainly don’t want to turn on the oven. So a salad like this cold pasta salad with tuna is ideal. All you need to do is cook the pasta. I have used orzo here, but you can use any kind of pasta. Mini penne would also be delicious. I had the orzo lying around and it seemed like the ideal pasta for this.
Nice and quick
I made the cold tuna pasta salad when I was visiting Charlotte. We made this pasta salad for dinner. It was still a pleasant 25˚C at the time, so ideal for cooking a few things for the site. And a pasta salad with tuna was still missing from the collection. Of course, I already have some delicious pasta salads on the site like this one with gorgonzola or what about this orzo salad?
What goes into a pasta salad with tuna?
Cold pasta salad with tuna contains – you guessed it – tuna. I also add tasty olives, cucumber slices, fresh basil and edamame beans. You can substitute peas for the edamame if you prefer.
The creamy dressing is very simple, just mayonnaise and Sriracha. This makes it immediately nice and spicy. If you want to lighten it a bit you can also substitute part of the mayonnaise for Greek yogurt or sour cream. You could also add extra rocket or lamb’s lettuce to the tuna salad.
Making the pasta salad is super simple. Once you have the cooked pasta you drain it and rinse under cold water. Add the pasta to a large mixing bowl and add some canned tuna as well. I do drain the can of tuna before adding to the pasta. I use a fork to break the tuna apart a little bit. The rest of the ingredients are cold so that just requires some chopping and you’re done. In this case I added cucumber, green olives (kalamata olives are also delicious), edamame and fresh basil. Pretty simple ingredients.
While not everyone likes cheese with tuna, I do find it works pretty well with some grated parmesan or pecorino.
To store
While you definitely can keep this in an airtight container, I would still recommend eating this cold tuna pasta salad right away. I don’t think it’s the best choice for meal prep. I find the tuna loses flavor after a day and because this tuna pasta recipe is so quick you really don’t need to make it in advance. You can still use it for a summer picnic though and keep it in the fridge for a short while covered with plastic wrap.
Variations and additions
Of course if there is anything really flexible, it is definitely pasta. This pasta salad with tuna is definitely no exception. I love this salad with some added red onion to it and you can even vary with the pasta. The orzo is great but for some reason I find it tastes different with – for instance – bow tie pasta. But that could just be me. I do like a smaller pasta for this recipe. Another great addition are some cherry tomatoes, sunflower seeds, red bell pepper, dill pickles and some other fresh herbs. I love eating this with tuna (obviously) but you could also change it and use chicken, smoked chicken, small meatballs or mackerel. Some green onions are always a good choice.
You can replace the dressing with simple extra virgin olive oil and a little balsamic vinegar or add some hot chilli powder. Perfect pasta salad for warm weather.
What kind of pasta should I use for pasta salad?
How do I season pasta salad with tuna?
Pasta salad with tuna
Ingredients
- 150 gr orzo pasta
- 160 gr canned tuna
- 100 g green olives chopped
- 1/2 cucumber in pieces
- 1/2 bunch basil
- 100 g edamame beans or peas
- pepper and salt
Dressing
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tsp sriracha
How to make the pasta salad with tuna
- Cook the orzo according to the instructions on the packet in plenty of salted water, drain and allow to drain and cool.
- Meanwhile, chop the vegetables small, drain the tuna and mix everything in a large bowl.
- Add the orzo and mix the ingredients for the dressing. Mix it into the salad and put in the fridge to chill until use. Season with salt and pepper.
Nutrition Information per portion:
Disclaimer:
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
You had me at cold pasta salad, Simone! It’s been insanely hot here lately, and this pasta salad sounds super refreshing. I love the addition of tuna in there to turn this from a side dish into a main dish!