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.
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.
Serving
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.
Got Leftovers?
Keep in the Fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Best served at room temperature.
Dressing tip: If making ahead, reserve a little extra dressing to stir through before serving to freshen it up.
More Pasta Salad Recipes:
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Mediterranean Tuna Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 2 x 145 grams (2 x 5 oz) tins of tuna
- 250 grams (½ lb) pasta
- 200 grams (1 ⅓ cups) cherry tomatoes
- 4 baby cucumbers - or half an English cucumber
- 1 red onion
- 2 tbsp capers
- ½ cup olives - about 75 grams
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
Lemon Dijon Dressing
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil - 60ml
- 2 tbsp lemon juice - about 1 whole lemon
- 1 garlic clove - minced
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ tsp salt
- pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the pasta until just al dente. Drain and rinse well with cold water to stop the cooking process.
- While the pasta is cooking, prepare the rest of the salad.
- Drain and flake the tuna with a fork.
- Half or quarter the cherry tomatoes and olives depending on size, thinly slice the cucumbers and red onion and add to a large bowl along with the capers. Stir in the tuna, parsley and cooked pasta.
- To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a small jar or bowl. Put the lid on and shake, or whisk, until emulsified.
- Pour half the dressing over the salad and toss well to combine – add more dressing as desired (you may not need to use it all.)
- Serve immediately or store in the fridge.
Nutrition
This is a great pasta salad for those really hot days when you don’t want to cook. I’ve made this a few times now and swapped the tuna for tinned salmon and added the springwater or brine and even the oil just to enhance the flavour.
So glad you like it! Using salmon sounds so good too.