This is not your grandma's tuna mac salad! For us, the perfect macaroni salad has a flavorful dressing that doesn't just drench everything in mayo. This salad has layers of different textures with crunch, bite and pop so that every bite is a little different. No boring mayo mess here!
Interested in more pasta salads to take on the summer heat? try us Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad or Pesto Pasta Salad.
Why our recipe?
- Go easy on the mayo so you can savor the other flavors with a dressing that will make you want to lick the plate.
- Tuna recommendations so you can go for a mild tuna vibe, or go full-force tuna-forward.
Canned tuna is the choice
Let's first talk about your options for canned tuna. There are four common options you're going to see at your grocery store. Knowing what you're looking for will help you choose the right flavor for your personal taste.
- Solid White Tuna: Firm and flaky texture, mild and sweet flavor. Great choice for salads and sandwiches.
- Solid Light Tuna: Lighter more subtle flavor than solid white. If you want a more subtle tuna flavor, this is your go-to.
- Chunk Light Tuna: The chunkier and harder light has a more varied texture and slightly stronger flavor. If you want big chunks of tuna in anything, including this tuna salad, to make it more tuna-forward, this is it.
- Albacore Tuna: Actually comes from a different species of tuna than the other three. Albacore tuna is made from a different species of tuna than skipjack tuna. It has a firmer, meatier texture and a stronger tuna flavor.
Material notes
- Macaroni: You can also use shells, bowties, pens or rotini.
- Tuna: Use one of the options for canned tuna, or you can always substitute with canned chicken.
- Hard-boiled eggs: Green rings on your yolks mean you overcooked them A 6, 8, or 10 minute eggs All great choices.
- Vegetables: Feel free to mix and match your favorites, or leave out the ones you don't. We love the balance of crunch from the celery, bite from the onion and pop from the peas.
- Deal: Goes hand in hand with tuna. Fresh dill is preferred, but you can substitute 1 tablespoon dried dill.
- Sweet pickle flavor: We know people have feelings. We already have dill so we like its sweetness, but you can always use dill pickle relish. Either way, Pickle Flavor is a must-have in our book.
- Mayonnaise: Can be substituted with Greek yogurt for a low-calorie dressing.
Chef's tip
Make sure you cook your pasta al dente and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Al dente means the pasta should be tender but still firm when you bite into it, the perfect consistency for pasta salad! Overcooking the pasta will make it too soft and mushy, as it will continue to absorb the dressing as it sits.
Storage Instructions:
Keep in fridge Leftovers in an airtight container up to 4 days.
More delicious pasta salads…
Watch the video below Where Rachel walks you through each step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we've always got you covered with our cooking show.
