Tuna pasta salad is the perfect dish to cook in the heat. A cooking expert has shared a recipe for the classic dish and said there is one simple ingredient that makes it taste better
When the mercury rises, a delicious pasta salad is just the ticket – especially for tuna fans. This dish isn’t just a refreshing treat, but it can also be packed with a variety of veggies to create a healthy, nutritious meal.
Food blogger Chelsea, of Chelsea’s Messy Apron, has shared her top tuna pasta salad recipe that’s ready in just 10 minutes and takes 30 minutes to prep. But there’s a twist – she ditches traditional mayonnaise for a “secret ingredient” that takes the flavour to the next level.
She said: “This salad ranks as one of my favourite creamy pasta salads. It’s creamy, richly flavoured, and has loads of texture.”
Chelsea’s convinced her recipe is the ultimate tuna macaroni salad, and the magic ingredient is Caesar salad dressing, reports the Express.
She explained: “I know, it’s a little unique, but it’s a game changer! It complements the tuna so nicely and keeps the salad from tasting like plain mayo (like so many tuna mac salads you’ve probably had in the past! ).
“The Caesar salad dressing adds a lot of seasonings and flavour, so you don’t need to add too many other ingredients. It’s a convenient shortcut for loads of flavour.”
Here’s what you’ll need
- 129g frozen peas
- 284g tuna, preferably in olive oil
- 198g Caesar salad dressing
- 151g sour cream
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 3g garlic powder
- 94g pickles
- Half of a red bell pepper
- Two celery stalks
- 77g carrots
- 72g red onion, diced
Method
- Begin by boiling your pasta as normal.
- Add frozen peas to the pasta during the final minute of boiling. Drain the pasta and peas, rinse under cold water, allow to cool, and dry.
- In the meantime, in a medium bowl, mix all the dressing ingredients: Caesar salad dressing, sour cream, salt and pepper to taste and garlic powder
- Measure the vegetables after dicing: dice the pickles, bell pepper, celery, onion, and carrots.
- Transfer the pasta and peas to a large bowl
- Top with all the salad vegetable toppings and the thoroughly drained tuna.
- Add the dressing and gently mix everything together
- Stir until all the ingredients are well coated, then taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary
- At this point, you may need to add more salt, but it depends on how salty the Caesar salad dressing is.
