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Tuna Pasta Salad

4.98 from 79 votes
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updated: 05/06/25

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This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy

This Tuna Pasta Salad is the perfect picnic food. It is easy to throw together with light delicious flavors everyone will love.

a tuna pasta salad in a bowl garnished with fresh dill

Sometimes at the beginning of summer, I feel like a little kid on Christmas morning. There is so much to look forward to, so much to get excited about. I have swimming pools, potlucks, BBQs, and long lazy days dancing like sugar plum fairies in my head.

If you are like me, you are probably also looking forward to all the great summer food. Everything from summer salads, to great grilled recipes, to amazing simple pasta salads just scream summer to me.

This cold Tuna Pasta Salad is easy to throw together, and is always a hit with everyone. The dressing couldn’t be more simple, but it is the perfect balance of flavors. You will even love taking the leftovers to work the day after that summer picnic.

Reader Review

Just finished making this pasta salad – OMG! It’s delicious- thank you for sharing your recipe – to the folks who haven’t made this – you really should give it a try.

overhead photo of ingredients for tuna pasta salad broken up by ingredient in a glass bowl without the dressing

Tuna Pasta Salad Ingredients

Salad Ingredients:

  • Medium Pasta Shells: You absolutely can use a different kind of small pasta for this salad if you like. I just find that shells works so well for this type of pasta salad.
  • Canned Tuna: Be sure to grab the tuna packed in water for this salad, and skip over the tuna packed in oil.
  • Frozen Peas: Your peas can be tossed right in frozen. They take very little time to thaw, and sometimes thawing them beforehand can add more moisture to the recipe than you want.
  • Celery: If you aren’t a fan of celery, you could replace it with some shredded carrots.
  • Red Onion: The onion can certainly be left out (or replaced with green onion) if you don’t like onions, but I do love the sweet tang they add to this salad.

Dressing Ingredients:

  • Light Mayonnaise: I love using light mayo in recipes. Usually it behaves the same, brings the same flavor, and cuts out a little bit of calories and fat.
  • Yogurt: Adding yogurt to a pasta salad dressing is a great way to add both zip and creaminess. It brings a different flavor than the mayo, so I love using them together.
  • Lemon Juice: The little bit of lemon juice in this recipe really adds some freshness to it.
  • Dill: I think that dill and seafood pair so beautifully together. If you don’t have fresh dill, we have a note about how much dry dill to use. If you choose to skip dill all together, I recommend using 1/2 a teaspoon of dry tarragon and 1/2 a teaspoon of dry parsley.
  • Salt and Pepper
overhead photo of ingredients for tuna pasta salad broken up by ingredient in a glass bowl

How to Make Tuna Pasta Salad

This is a brief overview of how to make this delicious recipe. For the full recipe, see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

  1. Cook the pasta. Cooking pasta seems so simple, but my tips and tricks for cooking it for pasta salad will definitely help. Check out my post: How to Cook Pasta.
  2. Whisk together the dressing. Mis together all the ingredients for the dressing. Taste it and adjust seasonings as needed.
  3. Stir everything together and add the dressing. Stir together the noodles, tuna, peas, celery, and onion. Then mix in the dressing.

Substitutions and Variations

  • Dill: If you really don’t like dill, I recommend using 1/2 a teaspoon of dry tarragon and 1/2 a teaspoon of dry parsley.
  • Mayonnaise: Miracle Whip can be a replacement for mayo. It will create the same texture and consistency you are looking for, but will change the taste of the dressing quite a bit. I just recommend tasting the dressing to make sure you like it before adding it to the rest of the ingredients.
  • Replace the yogurt: If you don’t like yogurt, sour cream would be a great replacement for the yogurt.
  • Replacing the tuna: If you aren’t a fan of tuna, chicken is a great substitute here.
overhead photo of a serving bowl full of tuna pasta salad garnished with fresh dill with more fresh dill on the side

Making Ahead

This tuna salad with pasta can be made up to 24 hours in advance of a get together. That being said, the pasta does absorb some of the dressing. You may want to consider making the salad the day before and not adding the dressing until right before serving.

Leftover Tuna Pasta Salad

Leftovers of this pasta salad tuna salad should be stored in the refrigerator. Leftovers should be eaten within four days of making the salad. As with any recipe, use your best discretion when it comes to leftovers.

overhead photo of a big bowl of tuna pasta salad garnished with fresh dill

Other Great Pasta Salads

I’m obsessed with pasta salad recipes. If you are too, you might like some of these:

If you make this tuna pasta salad recipe or any of my other recipes, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

a tuna pasta salad in a bowl garnished with fresh dill
4.98 from 79 votes

Tuna Pasta Salad

Serves: 12 servings
(tap # to scale)
Prep: 20 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
This Tuna Pasta Salad is the perfect picnic food. It is easy to throw together with light delicious flavors everyone will love.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound medium shells cooked, drained, and rinsed with cold water
  • 12 ounces tuna drained; please note this is the dry weight listed on the can (see note 1)
  • 1 cup frozen peas see note 2
  • 2 stalks celery diced
  • 1/2 small red onion diced

For Dressing

  • 1 cup light mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup plain yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon fresh dill 1 teaspoon dry dill
  • 1 teaspoon salt see note 3
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  • Cook the shells according to package instructions, being sure not to over cook. Drain and rinse with cold water.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon juice, dill, salt and pepper.
  • Add the noodles, tuna, peas, celery, and onion to a large bowl. Pour dressing over it, and toss to combine.

Notes

  1. Please note that this recipe calls for tuna packed in water. If you buy tuna packed in oil, that will really change the flavor and consistency of this recipe.
  2. There is no need to thaw the peas for this recipe. Frozen peas thaw very quickly and can just be tossed with the other ingredients.
  3. I recommend making the dressing with half the salt and pepper called for, then taste the dressing, and add more to taste.
Serving: 1cup Calories: 130kcal (7%) Carbohydrates: 13g (4%) Protein: 8g (16%) Fat: 6g (9%) Saturated Fat: 1g (6%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g Monounsaturated Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 7mg (2%) Sodium: 326mg (14%) Potassium: 19mg (1%) Fiber: 1g (4%) Sugar: 1g (1%)
Author: Lisa Longley
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
a tuna pasta salad in a bowl garnished with fresh dill

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Tuna Pasta Salad

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Hi! I'm Lisa Longley, and I am committed to giving you simple dinner ideas and recipes that are easy to make; recipes that will fill your home with joy. I am the owner and author of SimpleJoy.com and I'm so glad that you are here.

Reader Interactions

    4.98 from 79 votes (50 ratings without comment)

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  1. Colleen says

    5 stars
    This is my favorite pasta salad. I’ve made it at least 4 times in a 6 month period. Thank you for sharing.

    • Lisa Longley says

      I’m so glad it is such a hit for you!

  2. Debbie says

    5 stars
    I don’t usually comment on recipe posts but this one was excellent so I thought I’d leave a comment. I’ve made this 3 times in the past 2 weeks. It is soooooooo good! It’s even better after it’s been refrigerated overnight. I did use sour cream instead of yogurt and added some extra peas. I think I’m going to try adding some slivered almonds the next time for extra crunch. Thank you for a fabulous recipe!

    • Lisa Longley says

      I’m so glad you like it so much, Debbie!

  3. Mildred Stephens says

    4 stars
    I will leave out the peas (I don’t like them), but everything else is good.

  4. Dee says

    Hi Lisa,
    I made this today and it is delicious!
    I did use Greek yogurt, (plus the Mayo), fresh dill, and a few chopped hard boiled eggs, added an extra can of tuna, thanks for the tip on the salt, I felt it did not need it.
    So good, thank you!

    • Lisa Longley says

      I’m glad you liked it!

  5. B. Leering says

    5 stars
    I have made this salad since I was a young girl. My Mom made it & the family lived it. We called it shell salad.

  6. Roma kendrick says

    I hope to try this recipe! It is simple, and can be substituted if you do not have a certain part! Thanks for sharing!

    • Lisa Longley says

      I’m so glad you liked it!

  7. Emme says

    5 stars
    Made a delightful salad! Used half C mayo instead of full C. After learning I was out of dill weed & celery, added crunch & dill flavor by chopping up dill pickles and a half can of water chestnuts, plus a splash of the pickle brine. Sprinkled in 1/2 t of no-salt Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning. Bumped up lemon juice to 3 tsp. So tasty – thank you!

  8. Colleen says

    5 stars
    My very favorite pasta salad! I make it just like the recipe.

    • Lisa Longley says

      I’m so glad you like it!

  9. Linda Hendricks says

    5 stars
    I love your recipes! They are delicious and simple!!!! Thank you!!!

    • Lisa Longley says

      You’re welcome!

  10. Bonnie says

    I love love love elbow macaroni with tuna and chopped up cheddar cheesel with maynase and maybe small chunks of tomatoes. Yummy l

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