Tuna Pasta Salad with Olives
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This is a pasta salad you can count on. My mom’s been making this macaroni salad with tuna for years, and it’s a tried-and-true family favorite. I’ve fine-tuned it a little to ensure it turns out perfectly every time. Packed with bold flavor and plenty of protein, this salad is perfect for an easy summer meal and a hit at BBQs and cookouts.
This simple Tuna Pasta Salad takes classic old-fashioned macaroni salad and adds tuna and hard-boiled eggs for a little extra protein. It’s perfect as a side dish or a light meal on warm summer days.
In addition to the added protein, salty olives, a tangy dressing, and crunchy celery add plenty of flavor and freshness, while keeping this recipe incredibly easy. Feel free to swap in whatever veggies you have on hand to make it your own.
If you love fun salad recipes, try my favorite Chicken Caesar salad with pasta or my super fresh Strawberry feta salad with walnuts.
Why You’ll Love This Tuna Pasta Salad Recipe
- Simple – The recipe comes together quickly as the pasta cooks and is perfect for a BBQ side or potluck dish.
- Tasty – There’s a ton of flavor from the briny olives, tangy dressing, and bits of crunch and spice from the celery and red onion.
- Versatile – Customizable for using anything you have on hand. This recipe is great for cleaning out the veggie drawer.
What you’ll need for this Tuna and Shells Salad
This tuna salad recipe with pasta uses fresh ingredients and a great combination of flavors for terrific and tasty results.
- Small pasta shells – Any similarly sized pasta will work. You’ll just need to read the package instructions for cooking times.
- Canned Tuna Fish – drained. I like solid white albacore packed in water
- Hard boiled eggs – Peeled and chopped while the pasta cooks. I have these ready to go before I start cooking the pasta to save time.
- Spanish or Manzanilla green olives – these are the green olives with the pimento in the middle. I’ve used small and medium-sized ones. Use what you can find!
- Red Onion – minced
- Celery – diced
- Mayonnaise – regular or low-fat
- Dijon Mustard
- Lemon Juice – I always use fresh lemon juice for the best flavor, but you can use rice vinegar or red wine vinegar instead.
- Garlic Powder
- Fresh Dill – chopped. Dried will also work; you’ll need 1/2 a teaspoon, or it can be omitted entirely.
- Black pepper and Kosher salt – The salt is mainly for the pasta water and to adjust the seasonings in the salad dressing later.
How to Make Tuna Pasta Salad
Full instructions and ingredient amounts can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step 1. Cook the pasta in a large pot until al dente, following package directions. Once the pasta is cooked, rinse it under cold water until fully cooled. Drain the pasta very well.
Step 2. While the pasta cooks, roughly chop the hard-boiled eggs and olives. Combine the tuna, chopped eggs, olives, red onion, and celery in a large bowl.
Step 3. In a separate small bowl, mix together the mayo, mustard, lemon juice, garlic powder, pepper, and dill. Taste and add salt if needed.
Step 4. Add the drained pasta to the bowl with the tuna and veggies.
Step 5. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir until everything is well coated. Taste and add salt and pepper if desired.
Once mixed, serve immediately or store in the fridge until ready to serve. The dressing will absorb into the pasta as it sits and the salad will become more flavorful.
Tips and tricks for making this Recipe for Tuna Pasta
Substitutions & Variations for Tuna Pasta Salad with Olives
- For a healthy tuna pasta salad, swap some or all of the mayonnaise for Greek yogurt or a low-fat mayo.
- Swap the tuna for cooked rock shrimp or chopped shrimp for a shrimp pasta salad.
- Olives are a unique ingredient, but they can be swapped out for thawed frozen peas, chopped dill pickles, capers, diced cherry tomatoes, or bell peppers.
- You can swap out the celery and red onion for what you have on hand. Shredded or small diced carrots are great in this too!
- Try adding some fresh herbs like chopped parsley or basil.
- Any small pasta will work (like elbows or rotini) in place of the small shells. You’ll just need 8 ounces of (dry) pasta. Use gluten-free pasta if needed.
What to eat with Tuna Pasta Salad
This is a hearty salad and makes a terrific lunch or light dinner–that’s usually how we serve it in the summer!
It’s also a great side dish for Fried Fish, Sloppy Joes, Chicken Salad Wraps, or BBQ Chicken.
How to Store Tuna Pasta Salad
Store leftover tuna pasta salad in the fridge. This salad will last up to four days in an airtight container. Perfect for meal prep and easy lunches during the week.
Tuna Salad with Pasta FAQs
I do not recommend it. The texture wouldn’t be right after thawing. If you’re feeding a small crew, cut the recipe in half.
I recommend serving this pasta salad with any fried fish, burgers, chicken salad wraps, or BBQ chicken.
This salad will last up to 4 days in the refrigerator when appropriately stored in an airtight container.
You can, but only if you want to cool the pasta down faster. Shells hold a lot of water , so make sure that the pasta is completely drained before adding the remaining salad ingredients.
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Tuna and Shells Salad
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups (8 ounces) dry small pasta shells
- 1 Tablespoon coarse Kosher salt
- 2 cans (5oz each) tuna, drained
- 4 hard boiled eggs
- 1 cup Spanish or Manzanilla green olives
- 1/3 cup minced red onion
- 3/4 cup (3 stalks) diced celery
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt and the dry shells. Cook the pasta until al dente, following package directions.
- While the pasta cooks, roughly chop the olives and eggs. I like chopping them into big pieces, but this is a matter of personal preference.
- In a large bowl, combine the drained tuna, chopped eggs, olives, red onion, and celery. Set aside.
- Once the pasta is cooked, rinse it under cold water until fully cooled. Drain well and add to the bowl with the tuna and veggies.
- In a separate small bowl, mix together the mayo, mustard, lemon juice, garlic powder, pepper, and chopped dill. Taste the dressing and add a pinch of salt if needed. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir until everything is well coated.
- Serve right away or keep chilled until ready to eat.
Notes
- The pasta will soak up more dressing the longer it sits. If you want a super creamy salad, serve immediately.
- I use solid white tuna in water. I like getting tuna with big chunks so that I can break them up myself during mixing. If you’re using tuna in oil, drain it really well so the salad doesn’t get greasy.
- Any small pasta like elbows or orecchiette will work in place of the shells.
