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If you want a fresh and healthy pasta salad without a heavy mayo dressing then look no further than this mediterranean inspired Tuna Pasta Salad. Pasta and flaked tuna tossed with fresh tomato and cucumber, tangy olives and capers, crunchy onion and a lemon Dijon dressing, this is a great summer pasta salad.

Pasta Salads are one of my favourite meals. They are so easy to pull together, store well and, depending on ingredients, make a healthy balanced meal. I love to prep a pasta salad at the start of the week for lunches or quick dinners. And pasta salad is so easy to transport making it the perfect side dish to bring to BBQs or picnics during the summer. If you like this tuna pasta salad then I’m sure you will also enjoy this Smoked Mackerel Pasta Salad or my Grinder Pasta Salad.

No Mayo Tuna Pasta Salad

While I love a good tuna mayo salad (especially if it’s loaded up like my Tuna Crunch) sometimes I want something a bit lighter. The fresh and zesty lemon and Dijon mustard dressing in this pasta salad really compliments the tuna. It is super simple to make – simply combine all the ingredients in a bowl or jar until emulsified.

A bowl of mediterranean tuna pasta salad with sliced cucumber, tomato, black olives and parsley.

Ingredients

Canned Tuna – I use two drained 145g tins of tuna steak in brine or spring water. You can use tuna canned in oil as well if you prefer.
Pasta – a short shape works best. I use mezzi rigatoni which is like a shorter rigatoni noodle. Fusilli, penne or farfalle are good shapes for pasta salad.
Tomato – I prefer sweet cherry tomatoes but any kind of tomato works.
Cucumber
Red Onion – you can swap for shallot or spring onions.
Capers
Olives – I like black pitted olives best with tuna but use whatever olives you prefer.

For the Lemon Dijon Dressing:

Olive Oil – I always recommend the best quality olive oil you can reasonably afford. I like to keep a ‘nice’ extra virgin olive oil for dressings, dips and drizzling, and a cheaper bottle for more general use like marinades etc.
Juice from one whole lemon – you can add the zest as well for even more flavour. You can swap this for two tablespoons of apple cider or white wine vinegar.
Dijon mustard
Garlic – I use one fresh clove but a teaspoon of garlic puree or granules will work in a pinch
Salt and Pepper

Top Tip

The best way to make vinaigrette style dressings like this is in a small, clean jar (I save old jam jars). Simply add all the ingredients to the jar, pop the lid on and shake well to emulsify before using.

This is also a great tip for when you may not need to use all the dressing at once – simply keep the closed jar in the fridge until ready to use and shake well before pouring.

Close up of mediterranean tuna pasta salad.

Serving and Storing

I love my mediterranean tuna pasta salad served as it is for an easy grab and go lunch. I like to prep a batch in the week for ease.

It is easy to customise tuna pasta salad to suit your tastes – leave out the capers if you prefer, or swap them for pickles. Swap in or out the chopped vegetables for what you prefer or have to hand – bell pepper and celery are good additions. You can also stir through extra greens like rocket (arugula) or spinach.

Use another canned fish in this pasta salad – flaked salmon or mackerel would be great options.

You can serve this pasta salad as part of a meal – its great for BBQs, picnics or potlucks.

If you want to add some extra protein to your pasta salad, trying stirring in some chopped hard boiled eggs or cubes of cheese – feta or mozzarella work well.

You can make this pasta salad vegan by swapping the tuna for a plant based alternative like this one.

Tuna Pasta Salad will store in the fridge for up to 3 days. For best results, if you are making this dish in advance I recommend keeping the dressing separate until ready to serve.

Large white bowl filled with rigatoni pasta, sliced cucumber, tuna flakes, cherry tomato, black olives and sliced red onion.

More Pasta Salad Recipes:

I hope you like this recipe as much as I do!

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