Dilly tuna and spring pea pasta salad

The easiest meal to make and eat all week

Hello! Welcome back! Skip all the rambling and scroll right to the bottom of this post for a printer-friendly PDF of the recipe only.

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The sun was shining for most of the week here in LA, which had me thinking of one thing: pasta salad. Now I love pasta salad and eat it all year round, but there’s something so nostalgic about having it when the sun is shining. Brings to mind family gatherings as a kid, plates heaped full of macaroni salad and hot dogs and burgers, eaten between (ill-advised) belly flops into the pool.

Today’s recipe is not the macaroni salad of my childhood. It’s a springy, filling mix of veggies, herbs, tuna, and briny things that is less side dish and more star of the show. Ideal for a make-ahead dinner or a lunch that you cook once and eat all week, it comes together in a flash and keeps in the fridge beautifully. And maybe best of all, it’s cheap.

Tell me more

I strongly believe that pasta salad can and should be a main course, and this recipe is proof. Between the tuna and the veggies, it’s got enough feel-good nutrients to fill you up without weighing you down — perfect for warm days and balmy nights.

And it’s an easy one, too. Aside from cooking the pasta and the peas, the only prep work that needs to be done is washing, chopping, and opening cans. And the peas blanch in the same pot as the pasta during the last few minutes of cooking time.

Before we start

• One thing I love about pasta salad is its endless ability to be customized. Not a fan of peas? Sub in broccoli florets, green beans, or even edamame. Hate radishes? How dare you? But also, something like carrots, bell peppers, or raw beets will give you that crunchy texture that’s missing in so many pasta salads. Or try daikon! It has a much milder flavor than traditional radishes.

• This is a choose-your-own mayo adventure pasta salad. I give measurements for how much I used, but think of that as a suggestion. I like my pasta salad to be coated but not swimming, while others prefer a heaping helping of mayo and others don’t want any mayo at all. If that’s you, swap in Greek yogurt or tahini, or forego creamy altogether and opt for a dijon vinaigrette, which will taste right at home in this recipe.

• Legume pasta, like chickpea or lentil, is a great way to up the protein here.

The recipe

Note: recipe videos are posted on my Instagram.

Serves: 4