Tuna macaroni salad is one of those crowd dishes that makes fifteen cups from one pot of pasta and a few cans of tuna. Elbow macaroni cooked slightly past al dente, cooled and rinsed, combined with white albacore tuna, celery, red onion, sweet relish, lemon juice, hard-boiled eggs, and frozen peas, dressed in a mixture of mayonnaise and sour cream. It’s the pasta salad that shows up at cookouts, potlucks, and family dinners and disappears before anything else on the table does.
The technique difference from a standard pasta salad is subtle but matters: cook the macaroni slightly softer than al dente, not fully soft but past firm. Pasta salad served cold is less forgiving than hot pasta because there’s no residual heat to finish cooking; macaroni that’s al dente going into a cold dressing comes out firm and slightly starchy in the finished salad. A minute or two past al dente produces pasta that’s tender in the salad without being mushy.
Cooking and cooling the pasta
A pound of elbow macaroni in four quarts of well-salted boiling water, cooked eight to nine minutes until slightly softer than al dente. Drain, then rinse with cold water for about a minute until the pasta is fully cooled. The cold rinse stops the cooking and removes surface starch that would make the macaroni stick together and clump in the dressing. Shake the colander well to remove excess water; waterlogged pasta dilutes the dressing.
The tuna and the five-minute sit
Twenty ounces of canned white albacore tuna, drained and added to the cooled pasta with the finely chopped celery, red onion, sweet relish, lemon juice, a teaspoon of salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine, then let the mixture sit for five minutes before adding the dressing. This rest allows the pasta to absorb the seasoning from the lemon juice and relish so the flavor is built into the pasta rather than sitting entirely in the dressing on top.
White albacore tuna is mildly flavored and firm enough to stay in distinct flakes when stirred through the pasta rather than breaking down into mush. If you want a less assertive tuna flavor, the recipe notes that rinsing the drained tuna in a colander under cold water before adding it reduces the fishiness while keeping the protein. This is a practical tip for anyone who finds canned tuna’s brine flavor too strong.
The dressing
One and a half cups of mayonnaise and half a cup of sour cream, stirred through the tuna-pasta mixture along with two chopped hard-boiled eggs and a cup of thawed frozen peas. The sour cream lightens the dressing slightly and adds a mild tang that pure mayo alone doesn’t give you. Together they make a dressing that coats the pasta evenly and thickens when chilled, which is why the salad looks well-dressed straight from the mixing bowl and better still after an hour in the fridge.
Season with additional salt and pepper to taste at this point. The relish and the tuna both contribute salt, so taste before adding more.
The components that make it complete
Sweet relish and celery are what put this in the category of classic American macaroni salad rather than a plain tuna-pasta combination. The relish adds sweetness, tang, and the pickled note that pasta salad dressing expects. The celery adds crunch that keeps the texture interesting through a bowl that’s otherwise all soft. The hard-boiled eggs add richness and a slightly different texture from the pasta. The frozen peas add color and a pop of sweetness. None of these are optional in the sense of being unimportant; they’re each doing specific work.
A salad that improves with time
Like most pasta salads, this one is good immediately after assembly and better after a few hours in the fridge once the dressing has fully penetrated the pasta and the flavors have integrated. If you’re making it ahead, reserve a quarter cup of mayonnaise to stir through just before serving because the pasta will have absorbed some of the dressing during refrigeration. Stores in the fridge for up to five days. Makes about fifteen cups, serves fifteen at roughly one cup per person. Nutrition per serving: 359 calories, 29g carbohydrates, 14g protein, 21g fat.
Variations
Diced red bell pepper adds color and crunch alongside or instead of the celery. Dill pickle relish in place of sweet relish shifts the flavor profile from sweet to briny and sharper. A tablespoon of Dijon mustard stirred into the dressing adds complexity. Any of these keep the same structure and work within the same method.
Tuna Macaroni Salad
Description
Classic tuna macaroni salad with white albacore tuna, celery, sweet relish, hard-boiled eggs, peas, and a mayo-sour cream dressing. Makes 15 cups, serves 15.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 tablespoon of the salt. Cook the elbow macaroni for 8 to 9 minutes until slightly softer than al dente.
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Drain into a colander and rinse with cold water for about 1 minute until completely cool. Shake to remove excess water and transfer to a large bowl.
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Add the tuna, celery, red onion, relish, lemon juice, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes.
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Stir in the mayonnaise, sour cream, chopped hard-boiled eggs, and thawed peas. Taste and adjust seasoning. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
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Garnish with black pepper before serving. Stir in a splash of extra mayo if the salad has thickened in the fridge..
Nutrition Facts
Servings 15
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 359kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 21g33%
- Saturated Fat 4g20%
- Trans Fat 0.04g
- Cholesterol 52mg18%
- Sodium 478mg20%
- Potassium 241mg7%
- Total Carbohydrate 29g10%
- Dietary Fiber 2g8%
- Sugars 4g
- Protein 14g29%
- Vitamin A 294 IU
- Vitamin C 6 mg
- Calcium 102 mg
- Iron 3 mg
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
Cook pasta slightly past al dente; al dente pasta turns firm and starchy when cold. Let the tuna-pasta mixture sit 5 minutes before adding dressing. Reserve extra mayo to stir in before serving if salad has thickened in the fridge. Nutrition per serving (serves 15, about 1 cup): 359 calories, 29g carbohydrates, 14g protein, 21g fat, 4g saturated fat, 11g polyunsaturated fat, 5g monounsaturated fat, 52mg cholesterol, 478mg sodium, 241mg potassium, 2g fiber, 4g sugar, 294IU vitamin A, 6mg vitamin C, 102mg calcium, 3mg iron.
