Tuna Pasta Salad

Tuna Pasta Salad with tuna, pasta shells, crunchy veg and creamy lemon mayo. A quick, easy make-ahead lunch or BBQ side.

Overhead image of a bowl of Tuna Pasta Salad with shell pasta, tuna, tomatoes, celery, and dill, garnished with lemon slices; a serving spoon and a lemon are close by.

Nicky’s Notes

A woman with long brown hair and a black top smiles at the camera, sitting indoors with a brick wall and some greenery in the background.

This is our have-it-on-repeat lunch of the Summer at the moment!

Lots of lovely fresh flavours, easy to throw together (everything else is chopped and prepped while the pasta’s cooking), and leftovers make an even easier lunch the next day!

I love to use pasta shells, because they’re basically little pockets that scoop up all the flavour.
You can sub with any pasta shapes you have in the cupboard (it’s also one of my favourite ways to use the last bits of pasta left across multiple bags of pasta – lots of different shapes! ).

Prep it ahead and take it to work, on picnics or add the BBQ table as an extra side.

Ingredients for Tuna Pasta Salad

***Full recipe with detailed quantities in the recipe card below***

Bowls of pasta shells, tinned tuna, chopped vegetables, diced gherkins, lemon, dill, pepper and celery salt, plus a bottle of mayonnaise are arranged on a wooden surface—everything needed for a classic Tuna Pasta Salad.

Best Tuna for tuna pasta salad

I like to use tuna in olive oil, drained and gently flaked. It has a richer flavour and softer texture than tuna in brine or spring water, so it works beautifully with the creamy mayo dressing without tasting dry.
Albacore tuna is a great choice if you prefer a milder flavour and firmer, meatier flakes, while skipjack tuna has a stronger tuna flavour and a softer texture that mixes easily through the pasta.
Both work well — just make sure the tuna is well drained before stirring it in, so the salad stays creamy rather than oily or watery.

A bowl with cooked pasta shells, chopped cucumber, cherry tomatoes, tuna, celery, red onion, gherkins and a dollop of mayonnaise - ready to be mixed together to make a tuna pasta salad.

Abbreviated Recipe

***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card below***

Cook the pasta, then drain, rinse under cold water and leave it to drain well. Mix drained tuna, chopped vegetables, dill pickles, mayonnaise, seasoning and lemon juice in a large bowl, then stir through the cooled pasta.

Recipe Tips

Cool the pasta fully before mixing so the mayonnaise stays creamy and doesn’t loosen (and go oily) from the heat.
Drain the pasta really well after rinsing. Any extra water can make the tuna pasta salad taste bland or watery.

A bowl of Tuna Pasta Salad with pasta shells, tuna, chopped vegetables, herbs, and a lemon wedge, with a fork lifting a bite. Lemons and another bowl of pasta salad are in the background.

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Make ahead and Leftovers Guide

This is a great make-ahead pasta salad. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and stir before serving. Freshen leftovers with a small spoonful of mayo or a squeeze of lemon before serving.
Don’t freeze leftovers – The mayonnaise dressing and fresh vegetables don’t thaw well, and the texture can become watery.

Cook the pasta as per the pack instructions, then drain and run under cold water until cold. Drain until dry.

280 g (10oz) dried pasta shapes (I use shells)
While the pasta is cooking place the remaining ingredients into a large bowl.

3 x 125g (4.4oz) tins tuna in olive oil, drained and flaked, 1 medium red onion, peeled and finely diced, 200 g (3.5oz) cherry tomatoes, quartered, 1/2 medium cucumber, diced, 2 sticks celery, finely diced, 60 g (2oz) dill pickles, finely diced, 115 g (1/2 cup) full fat mayonnaise , 1/2 tsp celery salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
Add the cooked and cook pasta to the bowl and mix everything together until combined.
Serve right away, or cover and chill in the refrigerator (should keep well in an airtight container for up to 3 days).

Nutritional information is approximate, per serving (based on this recipe serving 4).

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

More fantastic Summer Lunch recipes

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