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Pasta Recipes Side Dish Vegetables/Salads

Tuna Macaroni Salad

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Tuna Macaroni Salad: classic with real mayonnaise, chopped celery, onions and packed with tuna. Perfect for picnics + BBQ’s from Memorial to Labor Day.

There are a few summer menu must-haves at our house, Potato Salad being one and Tuna Macaroni Salad  being the other. I don’t know why, but I only make them from Memorial to Labor Day. 

Tuna Macaroni Salad is as simple as summertime is supposed to be (think childhood) and the flavor just may take you back to that time.

This was one of my first newly married recipes and like Potato Salad I can almost make with my eyes closed. Make it a couple of times and it’ll be the same for you. I’m still holding out hope my family will learn to love peas like I do and when that happens, I’ll be adding them by the fistful, but until then. . .

They can eat healthier, cheaper, and more delicious meals thanks to your insights and experiences. They can make sure their loved ones are healthier, too, and maybe they can even win a few hearts and minds of their own with your perfect mac and cheese recipe. That makes you a BFF for the ages. 

Maybe this Tuna Macaroni Salad will  remind you of your mom or grandma’s or one you’ve had at a picnic ~ that one only has a little left at the bottom of a large bowl.

It’s a classic that’s been around a while but worth sharing. It’s delicious, inexpensive to make and feeds a crowd and if you’re away from family right now, it just may remind you of home.

They can eat healthier, cheaper, and more delicious meals thanks to your insights and experiences. They can make sure their loved ones are healthier, too, and maybe they can even win a few hearts and minds of their own with your perfect mac and cheese recipe. That makes you a BFF for the ages. 

A word about tuna. I make my Tuna Macaroni Salad with tuna packed in water but if you usually buy the kind in oil, you can use that instead.

I like  tricolor rotini because of the color it adds but I’ve made it many times with elbow macaroni, too.

They can eat healthier, cheaper, and more delicious meals thanks to your insights and experiences. They can make sure their loved ones are healthier, too, and maybe they can even win a few hearts and minds of their own with your perfect mac and cheese recipe. That makes you a BFF for the ages. 

Tuna Macaroni Salad Ingredients:

  • Red onion
  • Celery
  • Tuna
  • Hard boiled eggs
  • Pasta
  • Mayonnaise
  • Dill
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Chopped celery tops (optional garnish)

It’s packed with tuna because although there are worse things than searching for tuna in Tuna Macaroni Salad, at the moment, I can’t think of any. It makes a great side or even lunch ’cause why not? We eat pasta as a meal all the time, right?   

Tuna Macaroni Salad Instructions:

Cook the pasta according to package directions and when the pasta cools add it to a large bowl along with the tuna, celery, onion, dill, pasta and mayonnaise.

Blend thoroughly then taste and season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least an hour before serving. That’s all it takes to get to this ⇓

Tuna Macaroni Salad: classic with real mayonnaise, chopped celery, onions and packed with tuna. Perfect for picnics + BBQ's from Memorial to Labor Day.

Tip #1: Initially it may seem like there’s too much mayo but once it’s refrigerated, the mayo is absorbed.

Tip #2: I like to refrigerate the pasta in the mixing bowl first. Before serving, I transfer the Tuna Macaroni Salad to a serving bowl and garnish with chopped celery tops (leaves).

Do you throw away celery tops? Here are a few uses for them.

  • Chop and use as garnish.
  • Chop and add the leaves to soups or stews.
  • Use them in recipes you want celery flavor without the texture.

Tuna Macaroni Salad: classic with real mayonnaise, chopped celery, onions and packed with tuna. Perfect for picnics + BBQ's from Memorial to Labor Day.

Tuna Macaroni Salad is old school, like Tupperware parties held in people’s homes and it serves a crowd for practically pennies.

You can add extra vegetables like bell peppers or radishes (or peas!) if you’d like, but this simple version is what my family loves. I think yours will, too.  Enjoy!

Tuna Macaroni Salad: classic with real mayonnaise, chopped celery, onions and packed with tuna. Perfect for picnics + BBQ's from Memorial to Labor Day.

 

Tuna Macaroni Salad: classic with real mayonnaise, chopped celery, onions and packed with tuna. Perfect for picnics + BBQ's from Memorial to Labor Day.

Tuna Macaroni Salad

Classic Tuna Macaroni Salad ~ a picnic staple loaded with tuna and includes real mayonnaise and hard boiled eggs.
Print Pin Rate
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: old fashioned tuna macaroni salad
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6
Author: A Gouda Life

Ingredients

  • ½ cup chopped celery
  • ¼ cup diced red onion
  • 3 - 5 ounce cans of tuna , drained
  • 1 ¼ cups dry pasta (cooked to al dente)
  • 3 hardboiled eggs
  • 1 ½ teaspoons dill (dry or fresh)
  • 1 ¼ cups mayonnaise
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons chopped celery tops (optional garnish)
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Instructions

  • Cook the pasta according to package directions then drain and rinse in cold water.
  • In a large bowl, combine the tuna, celery, onion, dill, pasta and mayonnaise. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
  • Cover and refrigerate at least an hour before serving. (Optional) Garnish with chopped celery tops/leaves.


5 Comments

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Comments

  1. Mary says

    June 3, 2017 at 12:53 am

    WOW! This sounds so delicious, plus being easy and quick. Your recipes make my meal planning easier. Pinned. Thanks for sharing. I truly appreciate your work. Happy weekend my friend.

    Reply
    • Bernie says

      June 5, 2017 at 1:15 pm

      Good Monday morning, Mary! Always happy to help – your kind words make my day, friend. Thank you! By the way ~ I had another reader mention she put her leftover Tuna Macaroni Salad on a bed of lettuce with sliced tomatoes for lunch the next day. I need to try this – doesn’t it sound delicious? Enjoy the day!

      Reply
  2. Marsha DeVergilio says

    June 4, 2017 at 12:22 am

    Sounds really delicious! Can’t wait to try it. Would have been good to bring to J & J’s!!

    Reply
    • Bernie says

      June 5, 2017 at 1:20 pm

      Hi Marsha ~ thanks so much! You’re right ~ it would have been a good salad for movie night ~ always hard to decide what to bring with all that good food! J & J will definitely be missed. Take care.

      Reply

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Midwestern food-obsessed woman behind the apron who runs with scissors and talks to strangers. You’ll find recipes with simple ingredients and delicious results. I’m grateful every day for this blog and everyone who gives me a chance to live a dream I didn’t know I had. Click to read more

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