Tuna Pasta Salad

This creamy Tuna Pasta Salad is a delicious main plate or side dish and very inexpensive to make. It's the perfect cold pasta salad to bring to that BBQ or pool party you were invited to!

Everybody will love it.

Italian pasta salads typically don't involve mayonnaise. In fact you never find a large container of mayonnaise in any stores in Italy because it simply isn't used that much. Olive oil is the main dressing of course.

But for this cold pasta salad, in my opinion, has to have it. It's tuna mixed with all the ingredients that I love in a tuna salad that I would scoop on top of a bowl of crisp green lettuce, to munch on with my favorite crackers or in between two pieces of crusty bread.

Only this time we are going to mix it up with some Pasta.

This easy pasta recipe requires very little cooking. The only reason you need to turn on the stove is to cook the pasta shape you plan to use.

I used Gemelli which means twins in Italian.

Tuna Pasta Salad Ingredients:

1 lb of Gemelli pasta shape
3 cans of premium albacore tuna in water, drained
1 bunch of Italian parsley, rinsed and chopped
cup diced yellow or red onion
2 cups diced red tomato
1 cup chopped celery
Mayonnaise
Salt and Pepper
Lemon (optional)

Preparing this cold pasta salad hardly requires instructions because it's that easy but here goes.

You should cook the pasta first and rinse in cold water after you drain the pasta. Rinse until the pasta is cool to the touch. I like to drizzle just a touch of Olive Oil and mix so the pasta doesn't stick together.

Then set in the refrigerator until it's cold. This is important because if you mix the ingredients, especially the mayonnaise, in with warm pasta is "breaks" and it won't be creamy. "Breaks is a term used to describe when the base sauce is of both Oil and egg and because it is exposed to too much heat the sauce actually breaks apart rather then becomes creamy.

I suggest opening the cans of tuna, drain the water, then place all the tuna in a large bowl. Use your hands to separate and mince the tuna so it's fine. Set aside while you chop the tomatoes, the onions, the celery and the parsley.

I just love Italian parley in my pasta salad recipes.

Now mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Some like tuna pasta salad creamier then others so add the amount of mayonnaise you desire to the consistency you like.

Mix in the salt and pepper and if you like you can squeeze a little lemon juice in and you have a wonderful Italian pasta recipe to share.

If you are looking for unique tuna pasta salad, try this recipe with garbanzo beans added to the mix.