Tuna Macaroni Salad: Delicious Side Dish, Lunch, Or Dinner
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This tasty Tuna Macaroni Salad is refreshing. Use macaroni noodles (or gluten-free macaroni noodles) tossed with albacore tuna, lemon, dill relish, mayonnaise, and spices.
This tuna pasta salad mayo is easy, quick to make, and perfect for a side dish, lunch, or dinner…
Tuna Macaroni Salad
This is a cold tuna macaroni salad! It’s a guaranteed crowd-pleaser and perfect for potlucks, picnics, or a satisfying lunch or dinner at home. Are you looking for something else to make? Try any of our other salad recipes.
What is the difference between macaroni salad and pasta salad?
Pasta salads are typically made with a vinegarette dressing and macaroni salad is made with a mayonnaise dressing.
Why use albacore tuna in tuna macaroni salad?
It is lighter in color and milder in flavor compared to other chunk-light tuna varieties.
Can the recipe be made in advance? Yes!
Tuna Macaroni Salad Recipe
- Serves 6-8
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 11 minutes
- Active Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
- Macaroni Noodles (or Gluten-Free Macaroni Noodles)
- Albacore Tuna 12-ounce can (Packed in water, drained)
- 3 Hard Boiled Eggs
- 1/4 cup of chopped Red Onion
- 1 Cup of Frozen Peas
- Mayonnaise 1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon (more if desired)
- 1/4 cup of Dill Relish
- 1 Tablespoon of Lemon Juice (1 lemon, reserve the rest for adjusting to your taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon of Garlic Powder
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Dash of Red Pepper Flakes
To Make This Recipe Gluten-Free
To make this recipe entirely gluten-free, along with the gluten-free macaroni noodles use gluten-free mayonnaise and Bubbies gluten-free dill relish.
Directions
- Hard boil 3 eggs—Peel, cool, and chop.
To Hard Boil Eggs – Cover the eggs with at least 1 inch of water (add a dash of salt). Heat on medium heat, bring to a low rolling boil – cook for 10-15 minutes. Rinse with cold water and peel the egg shells. - Cook the macaroni noodles according to the directions on the box for al dente (Use all but, 1 cup dry noodles equal to 2 cups cooked noodles). Drain, and rinse the noodles with cold water. Set the drained noodles to the side.
- Mix the mayonnaise, lemon juice, dill pickle relish, tuna, and spices in a large bowl.
- Add the thawed peas, chopped hard-boiled eggs, and noodles and stir.
- Cover and chill until ready to serve (chilling will give the flavors to meld in the tuna pasta salad).
Recipe Notes
- I made this recipe using gluten-free macaroni noodles.
- To make this recipe entirely gluten-free, use gluten-free mayonnaise and Bubbies gluten-free dill relish.
- You can cook the whole box of macaroni noodles but, I reserved 2 cups of the cooked noodles for another recipe.
- However, feel free to adjust the amount based on your needs. If you use more macaroni noodles, you may need to slightly increase the mayonnaise and lemon juice to avoid drying the salad. And adjust spices to your liking.
- If you prefer sweet relish use it instead of dill relish.
- The tuna macaroni mayo recipe can be kept in the refrigerator for 3-5 days covered and stored at the proper temperature.
- If you serve it outdoors keep it cold by serving it with a bowl over ice.
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Print the Recipe For Tuna Macaroni Salad
Yield: 6-8
Tuna Macaroni Salad
Tuna Macaroni Salad that is tasty, quick, and easy to make. Use macaroni noodles, albacore tuna, red onion, dill relish, mayonnaise, and spices. It can be made gluten-free. Get the recipe and enjoy!
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
11 minutes
Additional Time
5 minutes
Total Time
5 minutes
Ingredients
- Macaron Noodles (or) Gluten-Free Macaroni Noodles
- 12-ounce can (Packed in water, drained)
- 3 Hard Boiled Eggs
- 1/4 cup of chopped Red Onion
- 1 Cup of Frozen Peas
- 1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon (more if desired) Mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup of Dill Relish
- 1 Tablespoon of Lemon Juice (1 lemon, reserve the rest for adjusting to your taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon of Garlic Powder
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Dash of Red Pepper Flakes
Instructions
How To Make Tuna Macaroni Salad
- Hard boil 3 eggs—Peel, cool, and chop. To Hard Boil Eggs – Cover the eggs with at least 1 inch of water (add a dash of salt). Heat on medium heat, bring to a low rolling boil – cook for 10-15 minutes. Rinse with cold water and peel the egg shells.
- Cook the macaroni noodles according to the directions on the box for al dente (Use all but, 1 cup dry noodles equal to 2 cups cooked noodles). Drain, and rinse the noodles with cold water. Set the drained noodles to the side.
- Mix the mayonnaise, lemon juice, dill pickle relish, tuna, and spices in a large bowl.
- Add the thawed peas, chopped hard-boiled eggs, and noodles and stir.
- Cover and chill until ready to serve (chilling will give the flavors to meld in the tuna pasta salad).
Enjoy it as a side dish or dinner!
Notes
- I made this recipe using gluten-free macaroni noodles.
- To make this recipe entirely gluten-free, use gluten-free mayonnaise and Bubbies gluten-free dill relish.
- You can cook the whole box of macaroni noodles but, I reserved 2 cups of the cooked noodles for another recipe.
- However, feel free to adjust the amount based on your needs. If you use more macaroni noodles, you may need to slightly increase the mayonnaise and lemon juice to avoid drying the salad. And adjust spices to your liking.
- If you prefer sweet relish use it instead of dill relish.
- The tuna macaroni mayo recipe can be kept in the refrigerator for 3-5 days covered and stored at the proper temperature.
- If you serve it outdoors keep it cold by serving it with a bowl over ice.
- Find more salad recipes to make.
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Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 105Total Fat 3gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 93mgSodium 184mgCarbohydrates 13gFiber 2gSugar 3gProtein 6g
Not all nutritional information is always 100% accurate.
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