Creamy tuna pasta salad is a very tasty first course that confirms that you don’t always have to spend several hours cooking to get a mouth-watering dish.
It is one of the typical dishes perfect for adults and children, for everyday lunch or special occasions. Tuna pasta salad is a recipe that combines the strong flavor of tuna with the delicate flavor of mayonnaise and capers to enhance the taste of the pasta. The combo of the ingredients creates a harmony of flavor that is difficult to resist.
To give it a touch of color I have added diced bell peppers. In addition to taste, the bell peppers add nutritional value to the dish. This cold tuna pasta salad can be served as a single dish for a family lunch or dinner.
The tuna salad is a very versatile course and can be transformed and adapted to one’s tastes. Here is another tuna salad version, choose the one you like most. Also, if you like tuna in general, don’t miss to try these easy, healthy, and delicious recipes:
Ingredients for creamy tuna pasta salad
In general, this type of the first course is very versatile and in addition to various types of pasta, you can also use different ingredients. For this recipe, I combined healthy ingredients like broccoli with less healthy ingredients such as mayo. This combo is perfect because this is how you balance the taste and the nutritional value of the dish. If there are some ingredients in this recipe that you don’t like, just skip them or replace them. Let’s see what it takes to prepare a perfect cold pasta with tuna.
- pasta. Choose whatever type of pasta that can retain the sauce with its shape. For this recipe I used fusilli, but you can also go for the shells, penne, or farfalle.
- tuna. Chose quality canned tuna. I like the tune preserved in oil, however, if you wish to lower the calorie intake, use the tuna in brine.
- capers. Besides being salty, capers also add acidity to any dish. If you are out of capers, you can replace them with pickles. Just make sure you dice them just the size of the capers.
- broccoli. I adore broccoli for its taste, color, and benefits
- green beans. I used frozen ones, you can use whatever you have available
- bell pepper. Use red or yellow-colored peppers to add color to the tuna pasta salad
- mayo
- soy sauce
How to cook the sauce for the tuna pasta salad?
The mayo-soy sauce combination is one of my favorite sauces because of its creaminess and light acidity. I find it perfect when added to the tuna pasta salad. Just use a bowl to mix together 1 cup of mayo and 2 tablespoons of light soy sauce. If you find it too thick, you can add one tablespoon of water.
This sauce is amazing because it doesn’t need any extra spices, it is already perfect. The sauce will coat all the ingredients and will make the tuna pasta salad just perfectly creamy, juicy, and round-tasting.
Do I have to cook broccoli for the tuna pasta salad?
Yes, slightly cooked broccoli will bring more satisfaction. For that, saute the broccoli forest in a hot pan. Do not add oil nor water. Just use a non-stick pan and saute the florets for about 3 minutes. Also, add the frozen peas to the broccoli and let the heat work on them too. A total of 4-5 minutes are more than enough for the broccoli to be perfectly crunchy and for the peas to be ready. Remove the greens from the hot pan to a new plate to stop the cooking process. You can rinse them under cold water to preserve the bright green color.
How to cook the tuna pasta salad?
Cook and prepare all the ingredients while the pasta is boiling. Bring plenty of water to a boil, add salt and cook the pasta for the time indicated on the package. It is a very easy and fast recipe to make. So, while the pasta is boiling, prepare the mayo sauce and set it aside. Then, clean and cut in small florets the broccoli. Cook the broccoli as advised above and set it aside. Then clean and dice the bell pepper. Drain the oil from the tuna and put it in a large bowl. Add all the ingredients to the bowl. Once the pasta is cooked al dente, drain it and run it under cold water.
Finally, combine all the ingredients and pour the mayo-soy sauce dressing. Mix well using a spatula or spoon until everything is well coated in the delicious dressing. The tuna pasta salad is ready to be served!
How to serve the tuna pasta salad?
Serve the tuna pasta salad as it is. If you plan to serve it for dinner, accompany the delicious salad with a chilled glass of white wine. Tuna is a good pair to dry wine. Enjoy every bite of it!
Creamy Tuna Pasta Salad with Broccoli
Ingredients
- 8 oz pasta uncooked
- 10-12 oz canned tuna
- 1 medium broccoli head
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1/3 cup capers
- 1 medium bell pepper
- 1 cup mayo
- 2 tbsp soy-sauce light
Instructions
- Boil pasta in salted water according to the package instructions
- Rinse pasta and run under cold water
- Saute broccoli florets in a hot pan without oil for 3 minutes
- Add the frozen peas and cook for another 1-2 minutes
- Remove from stove
- Wash, clean, and dice the bell pepper
- Mix the mayo and soy sauce in a small bowl
- Drain the oil from the tuna
- Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix with mayo dressing
- Serve with pleasure
